BOSTON — The only way for anyone to stop the Houston Astros from winning back-to-back World Series championships is by playing perfect baseball.
The Astros are too talented, a team without obvious flaws.
So when Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale looks like a shell of himself, third baseman Eduardo Nunez can’t catch a ball, pitchers can’t throw strikes, and the lineup can’t buy hits, you’re simply not going to win.
The Astros, behind ace Justin Verlander, hammered the Red Sox, 7-2, in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park on Saturday. Although it’s a best-of-seven series, you get the feeling this could be over in a hurry.
This is a powerful Astros team that may be the best in baseball since the New York Yankees’ dynasty in the 1990s. They are seven victories from winning consecutive World Series titles.
“It would be a dream come true for all of us,’’ All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman told USA TODAY Sports. “It would be crazy. But we can’t think about that now.
“It’s great to talk about it and stuff, but you got to go out and do it. Let’s do it, and then we’ll talk.’’
The Red Sox certainly aren’t waving the white flag, and no one is saying publicly they have lost confidence, but realistically they knew they couldn’t afford to lose any game with Sale on the mound.
David Price will start Sunday's Game 2, and as everyone in New England can tell you, Price happens to be 0-9 with a 6.03 ERA in 10 postseason starts. His team has lost all of them. Yet, the reason for optimism is that Price also is 3-0 with a 3.38 ERA against the Astros the past two years, including last year’s AL Division Series performance (32 strikeouts in 24 innings).
“I’m excited, I can’t wait to be back out there,’’ said Price, who lasted only 1 2/3 innings in his last postseason start, in the Division Series against the Yankees. “I know I can do this.’’
Certainly, the Red Sox are in need of a strong and long start, after using five relievers to bail out Sale, who lasted only four innings. They relinquished 10 walks and hit three batters on the night.
Really, there were red flags the moment Sale threw his first pitch. His fastball was clocked at just 91 mph, about 6 mph slower than his usual fastball when healthy.
Sale, who pitched only 17 innings the last two months of the regular season because of an inflamed shoulder, simply wasn’t himself. His velocity was down all night, he never threw harder than 93 mph and he averaged 91 mph. Sale, a seven-time All-Star who’s arguably the nastiest left-hander in the game when healthy, induced just four swings-and-misses from 86 pitches.
Sale struggled the entire game with his control, throwing a career-high 32 balls in his first two innings. His control woes were on full display when he walked three batters and hit a batter in the first two innings, the first time in his career he ever permitted four batters to reach base without putting the ball in play. He had four full-counts alone in the first three innings.
Sale, one of the most competitive pitchers in the game, managed to keep the Red Sox in the game without his usual arsenal, but the Astros still made him pay. Sale retired the first two batters in the second, proceeded to walk No. 7 hitter Carlos Correa, hit No. 8 hitter Carlos Maldonado with a pitch and walked No. 9 hitter Josh Reddick.
George Springer capitalized when he delivered a two-run bases-loaded single that Nunez should have at least knocked down. Instead, it went skidding by him, and the Astros went up 2-0.
It was just the beginning of the nightmare for Nunez, who would drop a routine double-play bouncer in the sixth inning. The Red Sox, who had 28 of their 76 errors committed by their third basemen, perhaps never had one more damaging this season.
Really, if not for Verlander’s sudden bout of wildness in the fifth inning, the Red Sox never would have scored. He wound up giving up only two hits in his six-inning stint, but walked four batters.
Verlander, making his 23rd postseason start, was cruising, retiring 10 consecutive batters, when Steve Pearce led off the fifth with a single to left. Verlander calmly struck out Brock Holt, but then suddenly couldn’t throw a strike. He walked Nunez. Then Jackie Bradley Jr. on four pitches. And then he forced in a run by walking pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland. Three pitches later, the game was tied at 2 when Verlander threw a wild pitch, allowing Bradley to score.
Yet, just when Fenway Park was rocking, Verlander settled down and retired Mookie Betts on a bouncer to third and struck out Andrew Benintendi on a called third strike. Red Sox manager Alex Cora vehemently argued, and was ejected.
The Astros took over from there, turning to their vaunted bullpen with Ryan Pressly, Lance McCullers and Collin McHugh, sending the crowd of 38,007 home.
“You never know,” said Reddick, who hit a solo homer in the ninth inning. “Any team can get hot at the right time, and anyone can cool down at any given moment. But in this clubhouse, we look at it as if we are the best team still playing.’’
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