4 Astros to blame after Houston crashes out of postseason in shocking sweep

And just like that, the season is over. The Houston Astros once again went quiet at Minute Maid Park in October, falling in Game 2 of their AL Wild Card series to finish off a shocking sweep at the hands of the underdog Detroit Tigers. That now makes seven straight home playoff losses for Houston and sets the stage for an offseason full of questions.

Before we get to that, though, it's time to play the blame game. There's plenty to go around after a season-ending loss like this, from Joe Espada's bullpen management to a star-studded offense that nevertheless managed to score just two runs across two games. Here are the four Astros who came up smallest in this series.

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4. Josh Hader

We'll get the obvious out of the way first. Hader was Houston's prize free-agent acquisition, the $95 million man who gave the team another elite option at the back end of the bullpen with which to shorten games come October.

But when it came time to finally put that plan into action, the lefty faltered: After Ryan Pressly gave up the tying run in the top of the eighth, Espada called on Hader with two on and two out to put out the fire. Instead, he poured a can of gasoline onto it, walking Spencer Torkelson before allowing a bases-clearing double to Andy Ibanez that put the game out of reach.

This is far from what the team envisioned when it signed Hader over the winter, and the struggles of both he and Pressly (in the regular season and in this series) make you wonder just what steps Houston will take to try and improve its bullpen this offseason.

3. Kyle Tucker

Of course, the single biggest culprit here is the offense, which continues to be unable to score at home in the postseason. There are plenty of names we could list here, but Tucker sticks out: The All-Star went 0-for-7 with a walk across the two games, including a crippling, inning-ending double play in the bottom of the seventh in Game 2 that snuffed out a Houston rally and kept the lead at just one run.

Granted, Tucker didn't have a ton of time to ramp up after returning from the mysterious shin injury that kept him out for much of the regular season. But he and Yordan Alvarez are supposed to be the twin offensive engines that will propel the Astros as the older core moves on, and this is hardly the first time he's been invisible come October — Tucker is now just 6-for-47 across his last two postseasons, with zero homers and a single RBI.

2. Framber Valdez

The Astros knew they'd have their work cut out for them against Tarik Skubal in Game 1. But Houston had its own horse on the mound in Valdez, who's sure to get some down-ballot Cy Young support at the end of the season.

Just one problem, though: While Skubal pitched up to his billing, Valdez very much didn't, allowing three runs and lasting just 4.1 innings. And like with Tucker, this is becoming something of a pattern: Valdez was dreadful last postseason too, with a 9.00 ERA across his three starts. Again, these are the guys who are supposed to be carrying the Astros into a new era of contention; it doesn't bode well that they don't seem comfortable when the lights are brightest.

1. Joe Espada

In the end, there's not much to be done when your stars don't play like stars. But Espada shouldn't get off scot-free here either: His management of the bullpen in these two games was puzzling, to put it kindly, from using Hader while down three in Game 1 (meaning he'd be pitching on back-to-back days if needed in Game 2) to calling on the aging Pressly, rather than the clearly superior Bryan Abreu, to start the eighth inning in Wednesday's loss.

While A.J. Hinch was mixing and matching like a madman from the other dugout, Espada seemed stuck in a rut, unable to adapt to a plan other than what he'd done all season long.