Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros couldn’t soar into another World Series.

HOUSTON (AP) — A year after Houston won the first title in the team’s 56 seasons http://www.philliesfanproshop.com/authentic-pat-neshek-jersey , Verlander had a rare off night in an elimination game and the Astros lost the AL Championship Series to the Boston Red Sox in five games.“This year’s team is better than last year’s team,” third baseman Alex Bregman said. “Everyone in here will have a little bit of an edge to play with, a chip on their shoulder knowing that we believe we should have been back-to-back champions.”Houston boosted its rotation with Gerrit Cole last winter and its bullpen with Roberto Osuna ahead of the July trade deadline. The Astros won a club-record 103 games, led the majors with a plus-263 run difference and swept Cleveland 3-0 in the Division Series.But after beating Boston in the opener, the banged-up Astros were outscored 27-14 in losing four in a row — one short of their season high. The major leagues remain without a repeat champion since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998-2000.“The World Series is the only thing that was going to make this team feel like we accomplished much,” manager AJ Hinch said. “It’s a pretty hollow feeling when the season abruptly ends the way that it does and the way that it did.”Their season came to a close a day after the Astros were cleared of any wrongdoing by Major League Baseball after a credentialed Houston employee was caught pointing his cellphone toward opposing dugouts during playoff games in Cleveland and Boston.Verlander was last year’s Championship Series MVP with two wins against the New York Yankees, including seven scoreless innings to force a Game 7.The Game 1 winner this year, he entered 4-1 with a 1.21 ERA when starting potential elimination games with Detroit and Houston. He had pitched 26 scoreless innings in such situations before J.D. Martinez’s go-ahead solo home run in the third.“We had a good season. Didn’t end up where we wanted. We lost to a great team,” Verlander said. “I said it last year, playoffs, it’s kind of flip a coin sometimes. It’s whoever is playing the best baseball at the time. We were dealing with a ton of injuries as you could tell.”Verlander wasn’t the only Houston player who didn’t measure up to his 2017 form.Altuve, a six-time All-Star and last year’s AL MVP, went on the disabled list for the first time in July with right knee soreness. He never seemed healthy Robin Roberts Jersey , banged the knee in the playoffs and was limited to a designated hitter in the last three games. He hit .250 in the series with two RBIs.“It’s not a secret that my knee was hurting pretty bad,” Altuve said. “But it’s something that I don’t have control of. It hurts and I couldn’t control being healthy. I feel really, really bad for not being on the field for my team but one thing you can know is that I gave everything I had, healthy, not healthy that was all I have.”Shortstop Carlos Correa dealt with back issues much of the second half of this season. While he had three hits and two RBIs in Game 4 — his only multi-hit game this postseason — he hit a relatively quiet .316 with three RBIs against the 108-win Red Sox.Right-hander Charlie Morton was a first-time All-Star and won 15 games, but he dealt with shoulder issues the second half of the season. Lance McCullers Jr., a 10-game winner, said he was pitching through some stuff like others while focused on trying to win a World Series, and indicated without being specific that his injury might require surgery.“The heart of this team, really kind of unparalleled. We had guys playing through so much,” Verlander said. “These guys could give nothing else to a man.”Morton is among the potential free agents for the Astros. That group also includes former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel, catchers Brian McCann and Martin Maldonado, and utility player Marwin Gonzalez. ST. PETERSBURG Tug McGraw Jersey , Fla. (AP) — Luis Severino is making his bid to be on the mound and throwing to catcher Gary Sanchez in the New York Yankees‘ playoff opener.Severino won his 19th game, the struggling Sanchez drove in four runs for the first time since early April and the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-2 on Tuesday night to keep up their push for home-field advantage in the AL wild-card game.Severino (19-8) is competing for Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ to start in the Oct. 3 winner-take-all game against Oakland. The Yankees opened a 2½-game lead over the Athletics for home-field advantage.“I’m ready for anything,” Severino said.Severino was 14-2 at the All-Star break but lost six of his next nine decisions before beating Boston and Tampa Bay in his last two outings. He gave up two runs and four hits in five-plus innings, and is third in the major leagues in wins behind Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell (21) and Cleveland’s Corey Kluber (20).Severino appeared to lose concentration after the Yankees’ seven-run third inning.“It was a long inning,” Severino said. “I don’t think I warmed up that good. But after that everything was great.”Brandon Lowe hit a two-run double with no outs, but Ji-Man Choi was thrown out trying to score from first. Choi was hurt on the play and needed stitches for a cut left ear and also experienced concussion-like symptoms.Sanchez had been 10 for 66 (.152) since returning Sept. 1 from a groin strain and 1 for his last 28, dropping his average to .180.“I think he’s just struggled to find his way a little bit offensively and dug himself a hole,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “The one thing I keep telling him, it’s not too late to dig out.”Sanchez hit a three-run homer off Jalen Beeks, his first long ball since Sept. 10, and added an RBI single in the fifth.“Definitely a tough season for me,” Sanchez said through a translator. “But, whatever I’ve already done this season is in the past Drew Hutchison Jersey , and the struggles are in the past. This definitely won’t be a season that’s going to be one favorites, for sure. The focus is to concentrate on the next game and concentrate to keep performing and help the team.”New York improved to 97-60, its most wins since going 97-65 in 2011. The Yankees are 37 games over .500 for the first time since finishing 103-59 in 2009, their last World Series title.Adeiny Hechavarria homered against Jake Faria (4-4) leading off the third. Luke Voit had an RBI double, Beeks walked Neil Walker with the bases loaded, Miguel Andujar hit a sacrifice fly and Sanchez followed with his 17th homer. Sanchez’s only other four-RBI game this year was April 11 against Boston.Andujar added his 26th homer in the ninth. He only trails Aaron Judge (52 in 2017) and Joe DiMaggio (29 in 1936) for the most home runs by a Yankees’ rookie.Faria allowed three runs and four hits in 2 1/3 innings. His night ended after catching a 108.5 mph head-high liner by Aaron Judge. The right-hander bent over afterwards with both hands on his legs and exhaled.“I threw my hands up to get my head out of the way and the ball went in my glove,” Faria said. “I’ve never seen anything hit that hard come at my face before.”TRAINER’S ROOMYankees: CF Aaron Hicks (left hamstring) should play within a few days, the Yankees said. … SS Didi Gregorius (torn cartilage in right wrist) is the be re-examined Wednesday. … INF Gleyber Torres (hip/groin) was scratched but could start Wednesday.Rays: Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said Choi was cleared of a concussion but is in concussion protocol. … CF Kevin Kiermaier (sore shoulder) started after missing one game. … C Michael Perez (left hamstring) won’t play again this season. … Cash said INF Daniel Robertson (left thumb surgery) is doing on-field work and is ready to have a normal offseason.STREAKINGRays LF Tommy Pham doubled in the first and extended his career-high on-base streak to 27 games, the longest active run in the AL. He has a hit in 26 of them. Pham got hit near the left elbow by a Severino pitch in the third but stayed in the gameMINORS’ MATTERSINF Thairo Estrada hit a long homer in his first instructional league game against the Pirates. He started the year on the DL after being shot in the right thigh during a January robbery attempt in Venezuela and then had a regular season-ending back injury at Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes/Barre.UP NEXTYankees Tanaka (12-5) starts Wednesday for the Yankees. He has allowed two or fewer runs in nine of his last 12 starts. The Rays will use reliever Ryne Stanek (2-3) as the opener.