Daily Briefing: Astros Force Game 6

The FanGraphs Newsletter, November 1, 2021 [READ IN BROWSER]( By Jeffrey Bellone - November 1, 2021 SERIES TIED: “Fortune favors the brave(s).” Matt Damon uses something like this phrase to punctuate an ill-conceived cryptocurrency commercial that has been running during the World Series, the copy for which includes more polysyllabic words (that aren’t “Domino’s” or “America”) than most ads. To this point, the commercial had provided an eerie narration of the Series itself. Atlanta had been the team improvising (Dylan Lee opening Game 4) and experimenting (Ozzie Albies hitting right-on-right), sometimes out of necessity (Game 5 starter Tucker Davidson), and it was Atlanta that entered Sunday night with a commanding 3-1 series lead before leaping out to a 4-0 lead in Game 5. But with their backs against the wall, the iron-jawed Astros withstood a first-inning grand slam and battled back to win 9-5, sending the series back to Houston. 👉 [With Help From Some Unlikely Hitters, Astros Force Game 6 After 9–5 Win, by Eric Longenhagen]( MINIMAL EXPERIENCE: Though they lost on Sunday night, the Braves still own a three-games-to-two lead over the Astros in the World Series thanks in large part to the work done by their bullpen. Due to the season-ending injuries to starters Huascar Ynoa and Charlie Morton, the unit has had to do a whole lot of heavy lifting, throwing two-thirds of the team’s innings (29.1 out of 44). What’s more, in Games 4 and 5, not only did manager Brian Snitker have to patch together bullpen games, he began them by giving the ball to a pair of pitchers, lefty Dylan Lee and righty Tucker Davidson, who barely had any big league experience at all. Lee, in fact, had never started a big league game before, making that move without precedent in any of the previous 115 World Series. The gambit met with only limited success, as both pitchers were shaky, but the Braves nonetheless managed a split, taking Game 4 before losing Game 5. 👉 [Minimal Experience Necessary: Dylan Lee and Tucker Davidson Are Part of a Grand October Tradition, by Jay Jaffe]( This newsletter is made possible due to the generous support of our members. If you are reading this email or use FanGraphs in your daily baseball routine, please consider supporting us. [BECOME A FANGRAPHS MEMBER]( [Quebec's Edouard Julien is the Twins' Most-Patient Prospect]( by David Laurila [Contract Crowdsourcing 2021-22: Ballot 10 of 11]( by Meg Rowley [Contract Crowdsourcing 2021-22: Ballot 11 of 11]( by Meg Rowley [2021 Pod vs Steamer -- HR Upside, A Review]( by Mike Podhorzer ⚾️ ROSTER REPORT For the latest roster information, please visit our [RosterResource]( pages. [How a Major League Baseball lockout would work this winter]( by Evan Drellich, The Athletic ($) [Bill James Handbook Excerpt: 2021's Most Efficient Team]( via Sports Info Solutions Blog [Jerry Remy was a terrific baseball player, and that's where the legend began]( by Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe [What we remember, what we forget, and the brawl that beat back time]( by Marc Carig, The Athletic ($) [How the Astros and Braves were built, and what it says about building a winner in 2021]( by David Schoenfield, ESPN [@fangraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [RSS]( [FORWARD]( [SUBSCRIBE]( Copyright © 2021 FanGraphs Inc, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the FanGraphs Newsletter. Our mailing address is: FanGraphs Inc 1200 N Hartford St. Apt 312Arlington, Va 22201 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](