Lance Lynn throws fastballs. The Houston Astros crush fastballs. It was a recipe for disaster in Houston and the White Sox paid the price for it getting blown out 6-1.
The Astros offense was all over Lynn pestering him with consistent traffic on the base paths. Seventy-four of Lynn’s 76 pitches were some variation of a fastball. The 97.4 fastball percentage is the highest rate of a fastball thrown in a postseason start in the pitch-tracking era. The Astros, who produced baseball’s second-highest OPS during the regular season feasted on the Cy Young candidate.
A leadoff walk to Yordan Alvarez opened the flood gates in the second inning. Lynn then gave up a one-out single to Carlos Correa. Kyle Tucker hit a deep line drive that was tracked down by Luis Robert but Alvarez was able to advance to third base. Jake Meyers finally broke the seal and pushed Alvarez across with an RBI single.
Lynn allowed a leadoff walk once again in the third inning to Jose Altuve. Micheal Brantley advanced him to second with a perfect bunt. Then Lynn threw a wild pitch allowing Altuve to get within 90 feet of home. That wild pitch turned out to be costly. Alex Berman hit a tailor-made double-play ball but with the infield playing in Yoan Moncada had to smother the ball and throw home. Altuve beat the throw with an excellent slide around the tag of Yasmani Grandal. Lynn then served up a fastball to Yordan Alvarez who sent it within inches of being a home run. He settled with a two-run double instead.
In the fourth inning, Lynn proceeded to give up three hits in five batters. Jake Myers scored on a Jose Altuve double and Altuve scampered home on a Micheal Brantley single. That was all she wrote for Lynn.
The big right-hander from Indiana lasted just 3.2 innings allowing five runs on five hits to go along with two walks and four strikeouts.
His poor outing sparked a debate about whether he should have been chosen as the Game 1 starter. It is very easy to second guess after the fact. But the numbers show this bad performance isn’t a fluke. His regular-season performance certainly warranted some recognition. Lynn was the White Sox best starter this season. In 157 innings he had an 11-6 record, a 2.69 ERA, and 176 strikeouts.
But Houston has been a house of horrors for Lynn during his career. Lynn has a 0-6 record with a 9.18 ERA over his last 33 1/3 innings when facing the Astros. In 60 1/3 innings at Minute Maid Park, he has surrendered 36 earned runs.
Lucas Giolito meanwhile pitched a complete game against the Astros at Minute Maid Park in 2019. He also chucked a complete-game effort against the Astros this season, where he allowed just one run on three hits. In Giolito’s only playoff start he took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Oakland A’s.
Even if Giolito started Game 1 Lynn would have to pitch Game 2. Carlos Rodon is dealing with a nagging shoulder injury and Dylan Cease is too unreliable at this stage in his career.
But the reason it is a big deal that Giolito didn’t pitch Game 1 is that if this series comes down to a decisive Game 5 then Lynn will be lined up to start…in Houston.
