As awesome as Game 1 was, a loss today essentially puts the Houston Astros and Oakland A’s on even playing ground. This is as obvious as basic addition, but the Astros hold more than a one-game lead; they hold the edge in reinforcements.
On Monday, the Astros used a total of four bullpen arms, who threw 63 combined pitches. The A’s, meanwhile, used seven bullpen arms who threw 86 pitches. None of those arms threw more than 19 pitches, and after extensive rest, all should be ready today, although I doubt Dusty Baker would use Cristian Javier today, and he probably wants to give Enoli Paredes the day off.