Back even.
What Happened
Houston 7, Atlanta 2
Tough luck for Max Fried. Four straight singles in the second, none hit 95 mph or harder. Kind of thing there’s little you can do about as a pitcher. Just tough luck. The fifth single, that of Michael Brantley, was well-hit, but it was already 4-1 when that happened, and Atlanta’s bats didn’t have enough in them, with José Urquidy doing few favors as he struck out seven and walked none.
The Heroes
Win Probability Added leaders, from FanGraphs:
- Martín Maldonado (0.15)
- Travis d’Arnaud (0.13)
What It Means
Houston is back to being the World Series favorite, coming in at 54.3% on FanGraphs and a similar number in the market. Atlanta will now have to win at least two with a starting pitcher not named Charlie Morton or Max Fried.
Other Notes
- Maldonado’s single, combined with an Eddie Rosario throwing error, brought in the third and fourth runs for the Astros.
- D’Arnaud’s second inning home run was one of just two extra-base hits for Atlanta, the other being a Jorge Soler double. Houston had three: doubles by Jose Altuve and Brantley, a home run by Altuve.
- D’Arnaud, Dansby Swanson, and Ozzie Albies were each on base twice for the visitors. In addition to Brantley and Altuve, Kyle Tucker reached twice for the home team.
- The Astros’ bullpen worked four scoreless innings, with Cristian Javier, Phil Maton, Ryan Pressly, and Kendall Graveman combining to strike out five and walk two, allowing just one hit.
***
Game 3 tomorrow in Atlanta.
