Astros' Alex Bregman Says He Was 'Horrible' in Game 1, Needs to Find Answers

The Houston Astros could have used some production from the cleanup spot during Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Washington Nationals in Game 1 of the World Series, but Alex Bregman went hitless in five plate appearances.

The third baseman said his performance was "horrible," per Greg Bailey of KTRK, and admitted he needs to find answers going into Wednesday's Game 2.

Bregman struck out three times, including in the first inning with two runners on and to start the critical bottom of the ninth.

It was more of the same after he was a mere 3-for-18 in the American League Championship Series win over the New York Yankees. He also has just one home run in the playoffs, which is a far cry from his dominant regular season when he slashed .296/.423/.592 with 41 homers and 112 RBI.

The recent struggles didn't stop the home fans from showering MVP chants on Bregman when he came up to bat, but he has been anything but the Astros' MVP of late.

While he was critical of himself, Houston still managed to score four runs in a game Max Scherzer started on the other side. That is typically enough to win with Gerrit Cole on the mound, but the three-time All-Star allowed five earned runs in seven innings and didn't look like the version of himself that has been so locked in during the postseason.

Juan Soto finished a triple short of the cycle and provided the key offensive fireworks for the Nationals that Bregman couldn't match.

He recognized that he needs to make strides, but that will be difficult with Stephen Strasburg slated to take the ball for Washington in Game 2.