Falling stars: Astros big hitters stuck in World Series skid

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Houston Astros' Jose Altuve reacts after striking out during the third inning in Game 3 of baseball's World Series between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

ATLANTA ā€“ 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 ā€œCheater!ā€ all night, the Astros stars went almost silent in Game 3 of the World Series.

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Forget any worries that Houstonā€™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 wasnā€™t part of this postseason plan.

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

ā€œI think we didnā€™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.

Through much of the lumber slumber, the most skill Houston showed with a bat was a bizarre yet heads-up bunt by Bregman.

Bregman was standing on the top step of the dugout in the sixth when Altuve grounded a foul that was about to hop into the bench. As some Astros began to duck out of the way, Bregman alertly bunted the eye-high ball harmlessly back onto the dirt.

As for the lack of hits that counted, maybe the weather was to blame ā€” temperatures in the 40s, misty and windy, causing frosty breaths on the field.

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

ā€œLike I told you a couple days ago, when you havenā€™t faced a guy, the nod goes to him for a while. He was effectively wild,ā€ 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 Boston pitching in becoming MVP of the AL Championship Series, is struggling at 1 for 8.

ā€œWell, you count on those guys, but no one can hit all the time. You get spoiled by the fact that theyā€™re hitting almost daily. Again, I keep referring to the law of averages,ā€ Baker said. ā€œThe more those guys get out, the more theyā€™re one at-bat away from a hot streak. Thatā€™s how hitters think.ā€

ā€œItā€™s like, ā€˜OK, if Iā€™m not hitting today or tomorrow, then somebodyā€™s in trouble in the near future, the very near future,ā€™ā€ he said.

Playing at Truist Park for the first time since their illegal sign-stealing scandal was revealed, the Astros and their struggles gave the crowd plenty to revel over.

Houston didnā€™t come close to a hit until pinch-hitter Aledmys DĆ­az blooped a leadoff single in the eighth on a ball that looked catchable. Bregman opened the ninth with a single to the right side through the shift on a ball that wasnā€™t stung, either.

ā€œObviously, they shut us down offensively,ā€ Bregman said.

But as Baker said recently, he doesn't panic. No need to now.

ā€œInvariably when you shut us down, usually our guys come back the next day and score a bunch. So I hope history repeats itself,ā€ he said.

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