The American League Championship Series is now a best-of-five ordeal.The Boston Red Sox evened their battle with the Houston Astros at a game
apiece with a 7-5 victory in Sunday's Game 2 at Fenway Park. It was the first
loss of the postseason for the defending champions.Jackie Bradley Jr. gave
Boston the lead for good with a bases-clearing double in the third
inning
Manny Ramirez Jersey , Mookie Betts provided insurance by scoring in the seventh and driving in a run in the eighth, and the bullpen allowed one run in
4.1 innings to preserve the win. David Price's Postseason Struggles Loom Over
Red SoxPrice was the storyline entering the contest, and he did nothing to
change the narrative by allowing four earned runs, five hits and four walks in
4.2 innings. His numbers would have been worse if Matt Barnes didn't strand both
inherited runners in the fifth.The southpaw is a five-time All-Star who won the
2012 American League Cy Young, but his postseason struggles are an inescapable
chapter of his story. He sported a 3.25 career regular-season ERA and 5.28
career postseason ERA before Sunday's poor showing, which took on a
here-we-go-again feel when he walked two in the first inning.Sarah Langs
SlangsOnSportsDavid Price has allowed multiple runs in 11 straight postseason
starts (thats all of his postseason starts), tying Roger Clemens for the longest
such streak in postseason history.Its also already the longest such streak to
start a pitchers postseason career.Unindicted Co-conspirator russbengtsonHow is
David Price still allowed to wear Jordans in the postseason? Hes 0-9 in 10
starts! Hes basically the Antijordan at this point.Jerry Crasnick jcrasnickDavid
Price might change the narrative one of these days. But it won?? be tonight.MLB
MLBMarwin WAY over the monster. #ALCS rnHMPJU913George Springer (two-run double)
and Marwin Gonzalez (two-run homer) brought the inevitable damage in the second
and third, respectively
Danny Salazar Jersey , which was more of the same after Price allowed three earned runs, three hits, two home runs and two walks in just 1.2 innings
of Boston's only loss in the American League Division Series against the New
York Yankees.Boston is in the middle of a competitive window, and these playoff
issues are going to loom beyond just this season. He won't become an
unrestricted free agent until 2023 if he exercises his player option, and he
figures to do just that since he is due north of $30 million in each of the next
four years.As for the current World Series chase, Price's lackluster outings put
additional pressure on the bullpen, Rick Porcello??ho had a 4.75 career playoff
ERA before he pitched in relief Sunday??nd Nathan Eovaldi??ho has one playoff
start on his resume. Even Chris Sale is a question mark after Boston announced
its ace was admitted to the hospital for evaluation because of a stomach
illness.The Red Sox will be in dire straights if one or more members of the
starting rotation struggle and create a situation in which Price takes the hill
in a must-win game. Cole's Poor Outing Ramps Up the Pressure on Keuchel,
MortonJustin Verlander is a headline-maker for the Astros
http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-trevor-bauer-jersey , but Gerrit Cole formed a dominant one-two punch after coming over from the
Pittsburgh Pirates during the offseason. He finished the 2018 campaign with a
2.88 ERA and career-best marks of a 1.03 WHIP and 276 strikeouts and continued
his success by allowing just one earned run with 12 strikeouts in seven innings
in the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians.However, he wasn't the same force
Sunday and allowed five runs (four earned), six hits and two walks while
striking out five in six innings. He hurt himself with a throwing error before
Rafael Devers' RBI single in the first inning made it 2-0, but Bradley's hit in
the third was the dagger.MLB MLBJBJ! The RedSox strike back. #ALCS
80ned6VT7cZachary quot;Doomquot; Rymer zachrymerRed Sox have as many hits
through one inning of Game 2 as they did through nine innings in Game 1.The
lackluster showing changed the formula for the Astros against the best offense
in all of baseball. Houston was in a position where Verlander and Cole could
have clinched a spot in the World Series by winning all four of their combined
starts, but Dallas Keuchel or Charlie Morton will need to deliver to keep the
chances of a back-to-back title alive.That won't be an easy task considering the
Red Sox led all of baseball in runs (876), hits (1,509), doubles
(355)
Edwin Encarnacion Jersey , batting average (.268), on-base percentage (.339) and slugging percentage (.453) and have momentum after beating
Cole.Keuchel may not be on the level of Verlander or Cole this year, but he won
the 2015 AL Cy Young and beat the Red Sox in last year's ALDS. He also earned a
win over the Indians in this year's ALDS, allowing two earned runs in five
innings, and has a 3.28 ERA in nine playoff appearances.He is also
well-positioned as a left-hander to neutralize Devers, Andrew Benintendi and
Bradley, who all tallied RBI from the left side of the plate in Sunday's win.As
for Morton, his next playoff appearance will be his first this year
Andrew Miller Jersey , but he made four postseason starts during last year's World Series run and finished with a career-best 3.13 ERA during the 2018
season.Keuchel and Morton will be tasked with facing a Boston offense that is
daunting beyond just the MVP candidates in Betts and J.D. Martinez. The
contributions of Devers, Benintendi and Bradley underscore how dangerous the Red
Sox are throughout a lineup that will continue to put pressure on the Houston
starters.Someone besides Verlander and Cole will need to be cool under that
pressure to clinch another American League championship.What's Next?The series
shifts to Houston for Tuesday's Game 3, where an Astros team that was 46-35 at
home and 57-24 on the road during the regular season will try to capitalize on
home-field advantage. PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jung Ho Kang is staying with the
Pittsburgh Pirates.Pittsburgh and the third baseman agreed Thursday to a $3
million, one-year contract that includes $2.5 million in performance bonuses
based on plate appearances: $625,000 each for 200, 300, 400 and 500. The deal
was announced a week after Pittsburgh declined a $5.5 million club option for
Kang, triggering a $250
Tyler Naquin Jersey ,000 buyout.“We feel that bringing Jung Ho back in 2019 will make us better as he will have the ability to make a positive impact
on our lineup,” general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement.
“Competition and options are important to any organization and this signing
provides us with both.”Kang was a star in his native South Korea when the
Pirates signed him to an $11 million, four-year deal in January 2015. He
finished third in NL Rookie of the Year balloting after hitting 15 homers and
driving in 58 runs in 2015, when Pittsburgh won 98 games. It would be the high
point of Kang’s time with the Pirates.The 31-year-old Kang didn’t play in the
U.S. between September 2016 and June 2018 because of visa issues connected to
three DUI arrests in South Korea. He made it back to the majors with Pittsburgh
in September and went 2 for 6 during the final weekend of the season.As in
Kang’s previous deal, the Pirates must allow him to become a free agent at the
end of the contract.
