Falling stars: Astros big hitters stuck in World Series skid

ATLANTA (AP) — The loudest noise when Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman stepped to the plate came from the crowd, not their bats.

Greeted by chants of “Cheater!” all night, the Astros stars went almost silent in Game 3 of the World Series.

Forget any worries that Houston’s lineup would be depleted without a designated hitter in the National League park. The greater concern for the Astros: When will their big hitters break loose?

Because the sight of Altuve flipping his bat after yet another strikeout clearly wasn’t part of this postseason plan.

Held hitless until the eighth inning, Houston finished with two mere singles in a 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves and fell behind two games to one.

“I think we didn’t swing it for one game. I think we flush it and move on to the next day and have a short memory. You have to in this game," Bregman said.

Maybe the weather was to blame — temperatures in the 40s, misty and windy, causing frosty breaths on the field.

More likely, it was the matchup — not a single Houston hitter in the lineup had ever faced Braves starter Ian Anderson.

“Like I told you a couple days ago, when you haven’t faced a guy, the nod goes to him for a while. He was effectively wild,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said.

Good enough to shut down the top-hitting team in the majors this year.

Altuve, whose home run and double sparked a 7-2 win in Game 2, dropped to 2 for 13 in the series with six strikeouts. Correa is stuck at 1 for 10, and Bregman is mired at 1 for 9.

Yordan Alvarez, who pounded Red Sox pitching in becoming MVP of the AL Championship Series, is struggling at 1 for 8.

“Well, you count on those guys, but no one can hit all the time. You get spoiled by the fact that they’re hitting almost...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Falling-stars-Astros-big-hitters-stuck-in-World-16576660.php