With a three-game lead in the series, the White Sox turn to former Houston minor leaguer Freddy Garcia to cap the White Sox first title in over 80 years. Houston area native Brandon Backe, in the biggest game of his life, will try and keep the Astros playing another day. When Jason Lane led off the 4th inning for the Astros with a solo home run, making the score 4-0, the Astros were cruising. They had the postseason’s most dominant pitcher on the mound, in the form of Roy Oswalt, and a four-run lead. It sure looked like the Astros were ready to get back into the series. Then, after a 46-pitch inning that saw 11 batters come to the plate, Houston trailed 5-4. Raise your hand if you saw that one coming. Anybody? I didn’t think so.
The pictures told the story every time Fox would show the Houston fans. Their jaws were dropped so far they had to pick them up off the ground. A five-run inning? How could this be? Isn’t Oswalt pitching? What a nightmare for Houston fans, as well as their star-pitcher. Roy Oswalt, in the biggest game of his career, had thrown his worst inning.
Now down 3-0, the Astros turn to right-hander Brandon Backe. Backe, a native of nearby Galveston, Texas, is charged with the task of keeping the Astros’ season alive. The Astros acquired Backe in 2003 from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for–are you ready for this–Geoff Blum. You may remember him as the man who hit the solo home run in the 14th inning last night. Houston traded Blum to make room for third baseman Morgan Ensberg in their lineup. Backe was 10-8 this season with a 4.76 ERA. Backe made only 25 starts this year, spending a significant amount of time on the disabled list with a back problem. Backe pitched well in the NLCS, allowing one earned run in five and one third innings against the Cardinals. In the Division Series, however, the Braves knocked him around for five runs in five and a third innings.
The White Sox will counter Backe with right-hander Freddy Garcia. Garcia, who started his professional career in the Astros organization, is 2-0 this postseason with a 3.21 ERA. In his last outing against the Angels, Garcia pitched a complete game, allowing just two runs. During the regular season, Garcia was 14-8 with a 3.87 ERA in 33 starts.
The Astros traded Garcia to Seattle at the trade deadline in 1998 as part of the deal for left-hander Randy Johnson. Since the trade, Garcia has won 99 games, including a career high 18 in 2001. Johnson signed with Arizona after pitching just 11 regular season game in Houston (he was 10-1) and two postseason games (0-2).
What We Learned from Game 3
Roy Oswalt is human. Oswalt went into the game to much fanfare, and delivered for exactly four innings. After Joe Crede led off the fifth with a solo home run to the opposite field, Oswalt fell apart. The 46 pitches he threw were the most he has ever thrown in an inning–ever. Oswalt faced 11 batters in the inning. He gave up six hits, five runs, walked one and hit another batter. Oswalt’s final pitching line looked like this: 6+ innings, 8 hits, 5 runs (all earned), 5 walks and 3 strikeouts.
The White Sox were the winners of the Geoff Blum-Ryan Meaux trade. Chicago General manager Ken Williams sure looks like a genius this morning, after trading a minor leaguer for Game 3 hero Blum on August 1st. Meaux may turn out to be a great player, but I doubt White Sox fans will ever care. After all the talk and questioning as to why Williams didn’t make any significant moves at the deadline, he has to be smiling today. The trade he did make, turned out to be the best midseason deal this year.
Lance Berkman is an RBI machine. Berkman knocked in his 14th run of this postseason last night, and raised his playoff average to .340 in 2005. Berkman is now a career .324 hitter in 28 postseason games. Berkman was robbed of a chance to win Game 3 in the ninth inning with his bat, after being intentionally walked by White Sox pitcher Orlando Hernandez. Morgan Ensberg came up next and struck out, another in a long string of disappointing at-bats in a disappointing postseason for Ensberg.
The 2005 Houston Astros are not the 2004 Boston Red Sox. Sure, it’s remotely possible that Houston can still win (I would not bet money on this people!), but how are they going to do it? As you may recall last year’s Boston team became the only team in baseball history to ever win a series after being down 3-0. That team had a knack for driving in runs, this Houston team does not. They left the bases loaded in the ninth inning, and the winning run on second in the two innings that followed. The Astros will be lucky to win a game in this series now, with the erratic Brandon Backe on the mound. He may be the pitcher who shut out the Cardinals for eight innings in Game 5 of the 2004 NLCS, or he may be the guy who gave up five runs in a littler over five innings against the Braves in Game 4 of the 2005 NLDS. You just never know.
Questions from Game 3
Why didn’t Phil Garner pinch-hit for Willy Tavares in the ninth inning? With runners at the corners and one out, all the Astros needed was a fly ball to the outfield to win the game. So why does Garner let the one man least capable of hitting a fly ball hit? This would have made more sense if the squeeze had been employed–but it wasn’t. Garner had Orlando Palmeiro on his bench, the man who has been an extremely productive pinch-hitter this season and throughout his career (including in the 2002 postseason with the World Champion Angels). I understand going with the guys who got you there, but the Astros had to win this game.
Would it have been better for the Astros if Chris Burke didn’t steal third? Sure, it meant they had a runner on third with just one out, but it effectively took the bat out of the hands of Craig Biggio. Doesn’t it seem the odds of Biggio singling in that situation are much higher than Tavares driving in a run? This also led to Lance Berkman being walked, and leaving the inning up to Ensberg, who has not been nearly as effective in these playoffs as he was in the regular season.
Is there anything funnier than listening to the comments of Brandon Backe and Aaron Rowand, who have been microphoned for this series by Fox? I think the highlight was when Scott Podsednik hit the game-winning home run in Game 2, and Rowand’s jaw dropped and he blurted out something like “you’ve got to be kidding me, no way!” I also must say I enjoyed hearing Brandon Backe urge a Houston fan to get in Paul Konerko’s way on a foul ball, and seeing him tell Andy Pettitte about his batting practice home runs. Actually, I think these two should call the games. Seriously, does any one like hearing Tim McCarver?
Keys for Game 4
For Houston, the only key is to survive. They need Backe to be effective deep into this one, after using their entire bullpen in last night’s marathon. Chad Qualls pitched three innings in Game 3, but he’ll still be available tonight. At what capacity, who knows? One thing is for sure; Houston will use everything and everyone tonight.
The White Sox need to stay focused. This shouldn’t be problem for this team, but we all remember last year’s ALCS. The series isn’t over until you win the fourth game. That’s a fact I’m sure Ozzie Guillen is making sure his players remember.
The Astros cannot be deflated from last night’s loss. If you are Astros manager Phil Garner, you are reminding your team today that they have been in every game, and could easily have the series lead. Garner needs make sure his team knows this is still a series, and they can overcome a 3-0 deficit.
Prediction: White Sox win 6-3, and sweep the 2005 World Series. Look for Backe to get knocked around by the White Sox, and look for Garcia to pitch brilliantly. From a fan’s standpoint, I hope this exciting series moves to Game 5. I’m just not ready for it to end yet.