Astros complete the sweep for sixth straight win
Astros daily report: Astros 8, Yankees 6
Apr 10, 2019, 10:11 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Houston was looking to make it a clean sweep on Wednesday night against the Yankees. Here's how the game panned out:
Final Score: Astros 8, Yankees 6
Record: 8-5, second in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Collin McHugh (2-1).
Losing pitcher: James Paxton (1-2).
Star of the game: No surprise here, Jose Altuve hammered two solo homers tonight to make it three straight games with a home run, proving that he's completely back in the zone after his late-season injuries last year held him back.
Notes: The Yankees came out swinging early, getting a game-leadoff home run off of Collin McHugh to take an immediate 1-0 advantage. The Astros responded right away, though, with Jose Altuve getting a solo home run to make it three straight games and tie things up at 1-1 before Yuli Gurriel put Houston in front 2-1 with an RBI-triple. Carlos Correa extended the lead further in the bottom of the third, knocking a ball to the right field fence for an RBI to make it 3-1. The Yankees battled back, getting a couple of no-out hits in the top of the fifth, followed by a sac fly to trim the lead to one at 3-2, but McHugh did well to limit the damage there and keep Houston ahead. Altuve struck again in the bottom of the fifth, another solo shot to make it 4-2. The train kept moving in that inning, with Carlos Correa blasting a two-run home run of his own to extend the lead to 6-2, then Jake Marisnick getting a two-out RBI-single to make it 7-2.
McHugh would finish six innings of two-run baseball, getting nine strikeouts in another good showing in his early season. Chris Devenski pitched a scoreless seventh, then Josh James took over in the eighth, allowing a two-run home run to get the Yankees within three at 7-4 and put two more on base without recording an out. That prompted A.J. Hinch to go to Hector Rondon, who would also struggle, allowing a single and sac fly to get the Yankees within one at 7-6. Ryan Pressly entered to get the last out of the eighth and ended the Yankees rally for that inning. The offense provided some insurance in the bottom of the inning with Marisnick leading things off with a single then scoring on an RBI from George Springer to give a little cushion at 8-6, making things somewhat less stressful for Pressly who came back in for the save in the ninth.
Up next: The Astros will get the day off tomorrow before starting a big three-game series against the division-leading Mariners on the road in Seattle this weekend. Friday night's game will get underway at 9:10 PM Central and will feature Wade Miley on the mound for Houston opposite Wade LeBlanc for Seattle.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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