The Astros are in trouble behind slumbering offense
Don't panic, yet.
Game 1 of the World Series did not go according to plan for the Houston Astros. The Los Angeles Dodgers, behind an outstanding performance from ace Clayton Kershaw, defeated the Astros 3-1.
The Astros mustered only three hits all game, and while one was a big home run from Alex Bregman, it was never going to be enough. As obvious as it may seem, the Astros' bats can't afford to be silent again.
Not exactly road warriors
The Astros went 53-28 away from Minute Maid Park in the regular season, tied with the Cleveland Indians for best road record in baseball. They're 1-4 on the road in the postseason.
This wasn't really an issue against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, because they dominated the home games. They won't have that same advantage here since the Dodgers hold home-field advantage. The Astros have no choice but to win at least one game at daunting Dodger Stadium.
Jose Altuve managed one of the Astros' three paltry hits on Tuesday, but he'll need to do better. In the ALCS, he went 0-for-10 at Yankee Stadium compared to 8-for-15 at home. The blame can't fall solely on Altuve - he's normally amazing - but he's emblematic of the team's overall struggles in road grays. Entering Tuesday's game, the Astros had a .608 OPS through their five road games. They didn't right the ship.
No consistency 1-through-9
While it's foolish to be overly critical of an offense stifled by the likes of Kershaw, the regular season's best offense has faltered in October.
Altuve's home dominance has buoyed his overall numbers, but the rest of the lineup has been anemic. Look no further than their leadoff hitter, George Springer who has struck out 15 times in 47 at-bats after getting punched out in all four plate appearances on Tuesday night.
But, no one else is hitting with consistency, either. Josh Reddick is batting .182 and Marwin Gonzalez is at .150. Cast as role players, they picked up the slack when the usual suspects floundered in the regular season. Not so in the playoffs. And as impressive as Alex Bregman's three home runs have been, he only has nine total hits.
This was the regular season's best offense. The Astros scored 896 runs while the Yankees tallied the next most at 858.
Elite pitching in Dodger Blue
It only gets marginally easier after Kershaw in the Dodgers' rotation. Rich Hill and Yu Darvish have shut down opponents with relative ease, but the real edge is found in relief.
The Dodgers gave a glimpse behind the bullpen curtain by bringing in Brandon Morrow and Kenley Jansen to finish off Kershaw's game even though the lefty had only thrown 83 pitches through seven innings. They didn't allow a hit, and justified manager Dave Roberts' decision.
It's not only them. Kenta Maeda, Tony Cingrani, Josh Fields, and Ross Stripling have combined for a 0.00 ERA this postseason. That's right, between those four pitchers not a single earned run has been plated over nine innings. Roberts will lean on Jansen and Morrow - who have only allowed one earned run over a combined 18 1/3 innings - but he's not limited to those options.
There are no easy answers, but the Astros have to wake up their bats on Wednesday if they hope to put up a fight. It's not quite time to push the panic button, but another punchless performance like this and things will look dire.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)