The Phillies lost Game 2 of the World Series, 5-2

Outfielder Kyle Tucker sat out Saturday when there was a question of urgency. Would he and his fellow Houston Astros, who lost a game in the 118th World Series, feel any added urgency from the prospect of going to Philadelphia with two games to go?

“I don’t know if it’s urgent,” Tucker said. “We try to go out and win every game. So that’s what we’re going to try to do today and try to get out to an early lead and try to keep it.”

What they got in Game 2 looked a lot like aggression. And a day after blowing a five-run lead, the Astros got both parts of the equation right this time.

The Astros’ first three hitters uncharacteristically doubled the hittable Zach Wheeler , giving them all the offense they needed to support star Framber Valdez en route to a 5-2 Game 2 victory over the Phillies.

The win ties the series at one before Monday’s Game 3, which moves to Philadelphia for three games.

The Astros came out so strong that Wheeler couldn’t get to catcher JT Realmuth until the fourth strike of the game. Jose Altuve ripped the first pitch he saw, a 96 mph quadruple up the left field line. He slipped right in front of Kyle Schwarber’s throw, which made a good cut. Schwarber had no throw on Jeremy Penn’s double, on a hanging curveball in the first inning.

Jordan Alvarez was fouled on the field and then hit a slider that didn’t slide off the surface of Crawford’s box. Four pitches in, the Astros led 2-0.

It made it 3-0 when Alvarez hit a fly ball up the middle to center, then scored when Rhys Hoskins couldn’t handle a throw from shortstop Edmund Sosa to shortstop Yuli Gurriel. The mistake went to Sosa, Hoskins is clearly to blame.

The Astros rallied in the fifth, Alex Bregman hitting a two-run homer to left-center. The inning started with a single by Altuve. He is 4-for-last-5 after starting the postseason 3-for-36.

That was all Valdez needed to make sure there wasn’t a repeat of Game 1, in which the Astros’ starting pitcher allowed a 5-0 lead to be shut out. The left-hander turned All-Star and Cy Young candidate survived a terrible 2021 World Series, allowing 10 earned runs in just 4.2 innings. But the 17-game winner has matured considerably, as demonstrated by a major league record 25 consecutive quality starts.

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He added another Saturday. He allowed four hits, including a leadoff double to left center by Nick Castellanos to lead off the seventh. He was lifted after getting one more, walking three and striking out nine. Valdes was charged with a run when Jean Segura picked up a sac fly that flew to left fielder Rafael Montero to score Castellanas.

The Phillies got the bases loaded in all but one of Valdez’s innings, but they only reached third base safely on Castellanos. In the fifth and sixth innings, Valdez induced groundball double plays from Matt Virling and Bryce Harper. Harper’s hitting streak ended at 12 games.

The Phillies threatened in the eighth, a ridiculous half-inning. After Bryson Stott grounded out, Schwarber blasted what was originally called a two-run home run down the right-field line. But the linesman, James Hoy, was overruled and a crew chief’s review confirmed it was a foul. Once through the pitch, Schwarber flew out to the HEB sign in deep right.

The inning was extended when Penn’s routine groundout turned into a flip to an uncovered second base, allowing Stott to reach third. It ended with Pena hooking Harper over his shoulder for a basket in shallow right-center.

The Phillies scored in the ninth when Alec Bohm doubled in closer Ryan Presley and Gurriel scored Brandon Marsh at first to score an unearned run.

Wheeler went five innings. He allowed six hits and three walks while throwing just 69 pitches. His velocity peaked in the 96 mph range after hitting 98 consecutively in the NLCS.

Andrew Belati, Connor Brogdon and Brad Hand all followed with scoreless innings.