Astros fans finally have the Game 7 excuse they desperately wanted

The Houston Astros lost Game 7 handily to the Texas Rangers. After a barrage of early-inning bombs thanks to Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia, Houston was stuck playing catch-up the entire contest. The Stros would come up short -- well short, for that matter -- so much so that fans in Houston had few to blame.

However, a recent look at the umpires by our good friend Umpire Auditor suggests Houston got a raw deal in Game 7. Still, it's tough to think it would've made much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.

First off, what is MLB doing allowing those umpires to play a role in such a decisive matchup? ALCS Game 7 should include the best of the best, not middle-ground umpires prone do bad calls in big moments. Houston was on the wrong end of many of these decisions, including just under 55 percent of the bad calls.

Were the Houston Astros screwed over in Game 7?

Uh, look, I'm quick to blame the officials in any sport when they make themselves a part of the game, rather than allowing the players on the field to decide the result. In this case, though, there was no decisive call which went against Houston. The Astros lost 11-4, and some of those runs were scored in the final innings for Houston. When scrolling through the highlights of these so-called bad calls, it's clear that many came with the game already out of hand.

It was the Astros who failed to win one of two home games to reach the World Series, and it was Houston who could not stop Adolis Garcia when it mattered most. Blaming the umpires is an easy out for a fanbase which isn't used to losing.

The Astros will be back. Trust me. For now, just take the L.