Decision points: World Series Game 1

A look at critical decision points during Tuesday’s 6-2 Braves victory in World Series Game 1:

Decision point: Shut-down inning. The Braves ambushed Astros starter Framber Valdez for two runs before the top of the first inning was in the book. To validate the momentum those two quick runs provided, however, Braves starter Charlie Morton had to deliver a shut-down inning in the bottom of the first.

Morton did it… barely. With one out, Michael Brantley drove a first-pitch meatball into left field for a single. One out later, Morton – appearing to pitch around Yordan Alvarez – walked him, and followed that by walking Carlos Correa as well to load the bases.

But Morton saved his team, the inning’s momentum and possibly his status as the pitcher by getting Kyle Tucker to ground out on a breaking ball.

It had taken a taxing 26 pitches, but Morton had maneuvered through the shutdown inning.

The key points in Game One of the World Series

Decision point: Failure to stabilize. Valdez came back against the bottom of the Atlanta order in the second needing to demonstrate that those two first inning runs had been an aberration, not a trend. Instead he demonstrated the opposite.

The Braves’ seventh hitter, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, grounded a single through the right side. Joc Pederson got a 1-2 mistake sinker over the plate and lined it in front of Brantley in left.  The ninth hitter, shortstop Dansby Swanson, flied out to center, but it was deep enough that both runners tagged and advanced. Jorge Soler’s ground ball to Correa at short was easily deep enough to allow d’Arnaud to score Atlanta’s third run.

Decision point; When to pull Valdez. Having allowed six hits, a walk and three runs inside of two innings, Valdez’s status on the mound was shaky even before the third inning started. The question was when Houston manager Dusty Baker would pull the trigger.

The answer was: Not soon enough. After Eddie Rosario grounded a full count base hit into right field, center fielder Adam Duvall came up. Baker had Yimi Garcia warming up in the bullpen, but he opted for an attitude adjustment with pitching coach Brent Strom. However uplifting Strom’s instructions, the real uplift was delivered by Duvall, who lifted Valdez’s second pitch, a changeup, into the Crawford boxes. By the time Garcia got to the mound moments later, the score was 5-0.

Decision point: Shutdown, part 2. Having burned 26 pitches just to escape the first inning, Morton was never destined to go deep Tuesday. But Braves manager Brian Snitker couldn’t have counted on him leaving just one batter into the third inning.

After Morton struck out Jose Altuve to open the third, he motioned for help. In the second, Morton had taken a hot Yuli Gurriel grounder off his foot, and between innings it swelled up. The injury was diagnosed as a fractured leg, sidelining Morton for the rest of the Series.

Snitker replaced Morton with A.J. Minter, who worked around a Michael Brantley double to escape trouble in the third. But Minter was less fortunate in the fourth. With one out, Kyle Tucker doubled to the wall in right, and Yuli Gurriel followed with a hit to left that sent Tucker to third.

The next batter, Chas McCormick, sent a potential double play ball toward Swanson, but the ball handcuffed him for an error, Tucker scoring Houston’s first run and McCormick reaching.

But Minter stabilized, fanning Martin Maldonado on three pitches and retiring Jose Altuve himself on a popup.

“Throughout all that, Houston gets just one (run),” Fox announcer Joe Buck intoned. The operative word was “just.”

Decision point: Luke Jackson, reclamation project. In Atlanta’s NLCS victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jackson was the Braves’ one consistent sore point. He made four appearances, but allowed five runs in less than two innings, a 27.00 ERA.

Still, it’s difficult to envision the Braves winning the World Series without getting at least some positive production out of Jackson. So when Minter finished navigating through eight outs, Snitker decided that the sixth inning of a 5-1 lead was as cushiony a spot as could be imagined to let Jackson re-establish his out-getting credentials … or not.

Snitker got what he wanted. Jackson faced six batters, retiring five of them and looking every bit a useful part of the coming week’s Braves pen.