Astros win the series

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 7-1 win

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 7-1 win
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

The Astros had one more game on the road before returning home; a rubber game in the three-game series with the Indians in Cleveland. A win would end their road trip with their fourth-straight series win. Here is how the game shaped up:

Final Score: Astros 7, Indians 1.

Record: 70-40, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Gerrit Cole (13-5, 2.87 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Danny Salazar (0-1, 4.50 ERA).

1) Springer starts things with a bang

George Springer did not welcome Danny Salazar back to a major-league mound with an easy out. Instead, Springer launched the third pitch of the game for a dinger to put Houston up 1-0 immediately. That would be the only run scored through the first three innings, with the next coming off the bat of Alex Bregman with a solo home run of his own to double the lead at 2-0.

Springer would come around to score again later in the game, working a one-out walk in the top of the seventh. He moved to second on a single by Jose Altuve, then scored on an RBI-double by Michael Brantley, making it a 3-1 Houston lead. That brought Bregman back to the plate, and he delivered an RBI-single to extend the lead further to 4-1, and also put him a triple shy of the cycle.

2) Not a lot of Ks, but still another terrific start for Cole 

While Gerrit Cole did not increase his league-best strikeout number by as much as usual on Thursday night, it didn't mean his start was any less successful. Cole allowed just one run, which after putting runners on second and third with no outs in the bottom of the fourth, was a gift.

He received some terrific defense behind him, both with a great catch by Springer on a sac fly that could've been more runs, then on a laser from Josh Reddick on another fly ball to throw a runner out at home to end the inning and the threat.

Getting some quick non-strikeout outs allowed Cole to go another deep start, finishing seven innings for the sixth time in his last seven games, and making it four straight seven-inning one-run starts. His final line: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4K, 0 HR.

3) Taking the series win

Houston's offense battled again in the top of the eighth, loading the bases with one out to set up a sacrifice fly for Michael Brantley, his second RBI of the night to extend the lead to 5-1. After Bregman worked a walk to load the bases again, Yordan Alvarez drove in two more runs on a two-RBI double to make it 7-1.

With Cole's night done after his seven innings, Houston turned things over to their bullpen to close out the win. Hector Rondon would get a couple of quick outs but then loaded the bases, prompting another call to the bullpen. Joe Smith would get out of the jam to end the eighth, then Chris Devenski closed out the win with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Up Next: The Astros will fly back to Houston tonight to start a three-game series with the Mariners at home tomorrow night. The series opener will begin at 7:10 PM and the expected pitching matchup is Wade Miley (9-4, 3.06 ERA) for Houston going against Yusei Kikuchi (4-7, 5.21 ERA) for Seattle.

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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Kyle Tucker returns to Houston this weekend. Composite Getty Image.

Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.

The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.

The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.

On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.

Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.

It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.

The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.

How the mighty have fallen.

Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.

Screenshot via: MLB.com



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