World Series Game 2, Phillies lose to Astros 5-2

HOUSTON - Zack Wheeler is not off his game often, but when he is his team struggles. It became apparent a few seconds after first pitch that tonight was going to be no less difficult than the last.

From the jump tonight it seemed the Astros had the upper hand. Getting to Zack Wheeler early was a significant contributor, along with some lights-out pitching. Though it is easy to look at the Astros and say what they did well and praise them for being the juggernaut they are. We have to remember that if the Phillies couldn’t beat the Stros, they wouldn’t be here right now.

Framber Valdez has been one of the best pitchers in Baseball all season, posting a 2.82 ERA with 17 wins on the year. However, despite the undeniable natural talent of Valdez, it became blatantly obvious that he was using some sort of foreign substance throughout the ballgame. Though the umpires did check him as he was lifted from the contest, there was no stoppage or matter between Valdez and the Umps. We all know the Astros history in the postseason when it comes to cheating, but I won’t make this about them, there are no excuses in the playoffs.

It was plain and easy to see the Phillies hitting was just simply outmatched by the powerful Astros arms. It looked as though the Phillies bats were just a few tics off all night. Though the Phils were able to send a few balls into the gap, it still obviously wasn’t enough to give the Stros a game.

One of the few bright spots from tonight’s game was the play of the bullpen. As Wheeler was lifted, the likes of Andrew Bellatti, Connor Brogdon, and Brad Hand came in out of the pen in succession. With Noah Syndergaard and Ranger Suarez starting the next few games for the Phils should interesting if the pen is continued to be stretched. Next, the series will head north to Philly for game 3 as Noah Syndergaard takes the bump to face Christian Javier.