Three Thoughts on Astros at Rangers, Gm 5

Texas loses the most important game of the series in most painful way possible

Three Thoughts on any and all playoff games for DFW’s teams is one mandatory feature of #SturmStack. In tribute to our Substack leader, the late Grant Wahl.

The Houston Astros completed their profitable trip to Arlington with a dramatic Game 5 victory against the home-standing Rangers, 5-4. The series has still yet to have a game won by the home team and now the series is led by the defending champions, 3-games-to-2 with the conclusion of the series set for Sunday and Monday (if necessary) back in Houston.

These are my Three Thoughts:

– There are tough losses and then there are occasionally losses that are so painful that you kind of wonder why we do this to ourselves. This was the latter.

It was a perfect game in so many ways and just a pleasure for a neutral to behold. Unfortunately, this space is anything but neutral as the wonderful 2023 Rangers season appears to now be down to its final strike. They did nearly everything right on Friday, with another wonderful pitching performance from Jordan Montgomery, a well-played game with a few key defensive moments, and then the ultimate moment for Adolis Garcia that set the stadium into orbit.

They even got Aroldis Chapman to get through the heart of the order and Jose LeClerc to be able to pitch the 9th inning with the 8th and 9th hitters before Jose Altuve again. If they could just get three more outs.

Instead, they allowed the 8th hitter to single and the 9th to walk. I will stop here and wonder aloud if the margin in this amazing series might come down to the Rangers walking the nine-hole hitter multiple times early in innings in this series and nearly every time it hurt badly in the end.

Regardless, Altuve did it again. He did what he has done so many times in the playoffs and so many times against the Rangers that it was not even a surprise. But, boy was it gutting. Altuve took the 0-1 pitch and hit another over the left field wall and over Evan Carter’s attempt and Houston received the three-run home run it dreamed about that turned a 4-2 problem into a 5-4 lead with one swing.

Jose freaking Altuve.

It figures, I guess, that after a week of fretting the every movement of the largest Astros bat, Yordan Alvarez, that the real threat to the Rangers post-season fate would be their smallest hitter, Altuve. How he did it again is just a frustrating marvel of circumstance and opportunity. But, boy, of all of the DFW killers to our local teams – and we can make quite a list – Altuve might be at the top of the list after this summer. He is just ridiculous and nobody who has witnessed this exhibition should require any more convincing.

The only real conversation piece is where this ranks amongst the most gutting losses in Texas Rangers history. Obviously, we are left to assume it is 2nd to only Game 6 in the 2011 World Series (known as the game we don’t speak of), but there remains hope that this can still be a footnote in the greatest conquest in club history if they can take two more games in Houston.

As unlikely as that feels right now, they are owed the opportunity to see this through. One more loss and it ends there if it happens and then that conversation will make more sense. But, for now, it was as bad as it gets. I was surrounded by Rangers fans and nobody could even muster words after that moment and the subsequent end of Game 5. The pain was substantial and it will be difficult to rise back up in this series now.

– They say your best players have to be your best players in a playoff series. If that is the case, we know why the Rangers are in trouble.

Using just the batters in this series, I would suggest to you that Houston’s best three players are pretty clearly Alvarez, Altuve, and Alex Bregman. I am not sure there would be any debate on that claim and they have all been spectacular.

The trio in this series through five games is 18-61 with 6 HR, 15 RBI, 14 Runs, and a slash line of .295/.371/.656 and an OPS of 1.027.

The Rangers best three bats would quite clearly be Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, and Marcus Semien. They absolutely had to try to cancel the Astros three out and maybe outperform them to pull the massive upset.

The Rangers trio in the series was 13-61 with 3 HR, 7 RBI, 8 Runs, and a slash line of .213/.250/.377 with an OPS of .627.

Add in the rash of pop-ups and even the rough moments in the field will hurt if this series is not pulled from the fire.

Look, this team is not close to this spot if Semien and Seager were not the foundation with which this entire operation was built. We know that they have had phenomenal years and are a key reason why this team is where it is. The revival of Rangers baseball has everything to do with their contributions for sure.

But, in this series, if you need to understand how Houston appears to be on the verge of another pennant, let the record show that the Rangers were fine in most every place, but the best players being as good or better as the best players across the way.

Let me also say that very little of this “best player” business must fall on Adolis. Garcia was fantastic in each of these three home games and hit what should have been one of the most legendary home runs in club history as the video below will attest:

You are darn right he is going to relish that moment and deserved to be the hero. Instead, he got beaned, ejected, and then, like the Josh Hamilton home run in Game 6 (that we don’t speak of), it might not be long remembered.

And yes, of course, they meant to bean him. Does it make sense? No, but that is the point about losing your temper in sports. Jamie Benn losing his mind didn’t make sense, Andrew Bynum losing his mind didn’t make sense, and neither does throwing at a guy when you are trying to rally. That is called sports and tempers matter. But, doggone, that Houston team always figures out a way and now they actually look like they are clutch geniuses yet again.

It makes you crazed with jealousy for a loathed rival who is also an unreal dynasty team if they can close the deal in 2023.

– The playoffs are truly the best and the worst. You kind of want it to end so you can stop thinking about it and feeling sad. You also want to leave the door cracked and keep hope alive, even if it is just a shred of hope.

You want to feel great about this year and how it is only the beginning of a large window, but you also know that sometimes in sports, you look back and realize that you blew your one big chance and never got back there again.

You might already talk yourself into improvements and a better chance in 2024 and maybe you are right.

But, we don’t have any idea what the future holds. This could be that year and this could be your chance.

For that reason, they must continue to chase the 2023 dream – even if you are out of resolve. By the way, I know you aren’t actually out of resolve. By Sunday, you will get back on your horse with the rest of us and try to ride bravely one last time.

Do you know why you will? Because, the Rangers haven’t lost four games yet. You have no choice. You started this ride in April. Maybe even in March. This has been magical.

It isn’t over yet. When it ends in Houston – if it does – we can do the postmortem and reminisce. But, this isn’t the time for that yet.

It definitely doesn’t look good and it sure doesn’t feel good.

But, they have at least one more tomorrow. Let’s hope they use it as best they can; because this has been one heck of a ride and it would be a shame for it to end on Sunday.