While the Houston Astros seem to be channeling their 2005 World Series brethren in the brick, sand, and black uniforms, the Washington Nationals are playing like the 2017 Astros, who refused to let anyone stand in their way on their historic march to the trophy.

Still, eight years removed from switching leagues, the 2005 National League champ Astros, led by “Killer B’s” Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, and Lance Berkman, were swept by the Chicago White Sox, of all teams, in the ‘Stros’ first taste of World Series play.

This year’s “take it back” nine are two games away from being swept away like so much flotsam and jetsam in a sea of missed opportunities and the unimaginable play of a scrappy, hungry Nats team, whose 2019 slogan has been “stay in the fight.”

There almost wasn’t even a fight to begin with: Both the Nats and the Detroit Tigers began this season 19-31. Washington is two wins away from being World Series champions. Detroit finished with the worst record in baseball.

Just Who Are These Guys?

The Nats ended up going 74-38 after that pitiable 19-31 start, tying the Los Angeles Dodgers and Astros for the most wins over the season’s final 112 games. They’ve won 18-of-20 and eight postseason games in a row to tie an MLB record.

Even still, the 107 wins logged by the Astros was their franchise high, while Washington ended up with 14 fewer victories.

Look for plenty of “finish the fight” signs and banners at Nationals Park in the weekend games beginning Friday, October 25, with Zack Greinke starting for the Astros. Friday’s game will be the first World Series game in Washington, DC, in 86 years.

Houston hopes there will be a Game 5 on Sunday. They also hope a return to Minute Maid Park will be necessary on Tuesday, and Wednesday for a possible deciding Game 7.

How the Astros’ Hole Was Dug

Game 1 on Tuesday went to the Nats, 5-4, in a game that came close to mirroring the 5-3 victory taken by the White Sox in 2005’s Game 1 in Chicago on the exact same date, October 22.

The self-described “Baby Sharks” circled Houston’s starter, Justin Verlander, for six innings in Wednesday’s Game 2, before moving in for the kill, injuring the 2019 AL Cy Young candidate for seven hits and four earned runs, tagging him with the eventual loss.

Houston’s “Killer B” of this generation, Alex Bregman, belted a two-run home run to left in the first to tie the game and the close Verlander/Stephen Strasburg match-up everyone expected seemed to be in the offing.

All that changed and blew up in the hometown heroes’ faces in the seventh inning with Ryan Pressly on the mound. For the first time in the 2019 season, Houston became like every other MLB team: They issued an intentional walk. “Childish Bambino” Juan Soto, beneficiary of the free pass, scored, and many saw fit to follow him in the 12-3 Washington win.

Astros: “Where Do We Keep the Harpoons?”

The Astros held a players-only meeting after Wednesday’s nine-run loss to the “Baby Sharks.”

Leading the clubhouse confab to chart their near-term course was “JV, of course,” Josh Reddick told reporters of Verlander and his leadership role on the team. “[Jose] Altuve got in there as well. Those two said everything that needed to be said. There was nothing left that needed to be said.”

Astute Astro fans will remember the 2017 ALCS against the New York Yankees. Houston came out strong at home, taking the first two games with identical 2-1 scores.

The Yankees proceeded to take the next three in the Bronx by a total of 19-5. Cue the players-only meeting, fronted by the just-acquired Verlander, who took his words to the field for Game 6, shutting out the Yanks for seven innings. Houston won the final two games of that ALCS by a total of 11-1 at home. It was on to the World Series, and immortality, from there.

Different scenario here, of course, but the same urgency remains.

Houston’s left-handed bats, including Reddick’s, will need to find some way to return to something resembling reliable production. Reddick hit .167 in the ALCS, and .100 in the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays. He’s currently hitless in his six World Series plate appearances. Left fielder, Michael Brantley is carrying the lefty load, hitting .375 in the Series.

Houston’s DH, Yordan Alvarez, Sporting News‘ newly-named AL Rookie of the Year, has finally found a solid consistency (three-for-six in the series) after a punchless ALCS against the Yankees. Unfortunately, his usage in the DH-free National League park will likely be limited to pinch-hitting.

Houston’s hitters, overall, made Washington pitchers work, taking many close, off-the-plate offerings, especially by Game 2 starter Strasburg, who threw 114 pitches in six innings, while Max Scherzer, in Game 1, tossed 112 in five innings. The Astros’ problem throughout the entire playoffs has been timely hitting with runners in scoring position.

The Astros stranded 11 runners on base in Game 1. That stat sticks out, inasmuch as they lost the game by one run; Houston went three-for-12 with runners in scoring position in that game. Carlos Correa struck out with the bases loaded to end the third inning; Alvarez struck out with the sacks full to end the seventh.

Ears Pressed Against the Clubhouse Door

Astros’ center fielder George Springer waxed philosophical to reporters about the tougher pitchers they face in the postseason: “These are the most elite guys in the world, man, they’re not trying to give up runs. It’s hard to face these guys. We can’t look into one thing or the other. We have to string together an at-bat and see what happens.”

Springer came close to hitting the proverbial nail on the head: Sometimes, hitters aren’t merely failing to hit, hit well, or hit in clutch situations, as much as they are simply being overmatched by particular pitches in specific locations by a superior pitcher in any given at-bat.

How they overcome all that to emerge with a plane ticket back to Houston for games next week is, I imagine, what was discussed in that players-only meeting, late Wednesday night.

I’m wondering if Verlander, in his inspirational oratory to his team, threatened to have the aforementioned, ear-piercing children’s song implanted as each Astro player’s phone ringtone throughout the offseason if Houston ends up yielding the trophy to the Nats.

I mean, this thing is the heart and soul of why they have a stuffed, blue shark attached to their dugout fencing, why Nat fans do a bizarre, arms-outstretched hand clap, and why “Baby Sharks” is their nom-de-diamond.