After not producing like his usual self in the ALCS against the Yankees, Astros third baseman and AL MVP candidate Alex Bregman went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in his team's loss to the Nationals in Game 1 of the World Series. After that disappointing series opener, in which Bregman left three runners on base in what turned out to be a one-run loss, he called himself to account.
"I've got to be better," Bregman told reporters, including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. "Starts with me. I was horrible all night."
In the top of the first of Game 2, Justin Verlander permitted a two-run double to Anthony Rendon, which seemed to suck the air out of Minute Maid Park. Well, in the bottom of the first, Bregman put the air back in in a hurry:
WHAT SLUMP!?
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) October 24, 2019
Alex Bregman ties the game!! pic.twitter.com/2IGOxP0bS7
That game-tying homer traveled 411 feet, and came at the expense of a Stephen Strasburg 2-2 changeup. Bregman is just the seventh right-handed batter ever to homer off Strasburg's typically filthy change-of-pace. That blast also improved the Astros' chances of winning Game 2 from 32.6 percent to 51.1 percent.
Strasburg, of course, is a frontline pitcher who's headed for a top-10 finish in the Cy Young balloting and who's been an All-Star. As it turns out, Bregman in the playoffs is quite accustomed to laying into All-Star pitchers:
Alex Bregman with ANOTHER postseason home run off ANOTHER All-Star.
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 24, 2019
Here are the players he's homered off in the postseason:
Sephen Strasburg (tonight)
Chris Sale (2)
Clayton Kershaw
Blake Snell
Trevor Bauer
Kenley Jansen
Corey Kluber
The 25-year-old Bregman during the regular season batted .296/.423/.592 (162 OPS+) with 41 home runs, 37 doubles, and an MLB-leading 119 walks (just two intentionally). Throw in his solid baserunning and plus glove at third (and his almost 500 defensive innings at shortstop this season), and Bregman may just wind up winning the AL MVP award. With the home run above, maybe he's back to hitting like an MVP.
His fielding, however, is another story. Yes, Bregman's typically an asset with the glove, but that certainly wasn't the case in Game 2. Bregman's fielding miscues played a huge role in the Astros' seventh inning core reactor meltdown on Wednesday. First, there's this one:
Nats extend their lead after an infield single!
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 24, 2019
4-2 in the 7th! pic.twitter.com/3ct0Mhh4gp
That was ruled a hit off the bat of Howie Kendrick, and it was indeed a non-routine play. That said, it's also a play Bregman should've made. Instead, Victor Robles was able to score on the play. Then with two outs, Bregman fielded a soft grounder from Ryan Zimmerman and sailed the throw to first base. That error allowed two more runs to score an in essence iced it for the Nats.