Astros take the opener in Toronto
Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 7-4 win
Aug 30, 2019, 9:32 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
After having their most recent winning streak snapped in the series finale with the Rays on Thursday, the Astros made the trip north of the border to start a weekend three-game series with the Blue Jays in Toronto. Here is a quick rundown of the series opener:
Final Score: Astros 7, Blue Jays 4.
Record: 88-48, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Collin McHugh (4-5, 4.70 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Trent Thornton (4-9, 5.34 ERA).
1) Miley struggles with an erratic strike zone
Wade Miley did not have an enjoyable time on the mound in the early goings of the game. He was struggling to find the zone, allowing a couple of walks in the bottom of the first, but was able to erase them to keep Toronto off the board.
Still struggling to throw strikes, and with a very questionable strike zone from the home plate umpire, Miley got himself into more trouble in the bottom of the second by walking the bases loaded before catcher's interference scored a run to put the Blue Jays ahead 1-0. He was able to strike out the next two batters to strand all three runners, but his pitch count was quickly rising.
His pitch count would come into play as he progressed over the next couple of innings, getting only two outs into fourth before allowing a single which prompted a call to Houston's bullpen. Collin McHugh was brought in and finished up the fourth. Miley's final pitching line: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, 0 HR.
2) Houston jumps on top in the middle innings
Houston's offense was finally able to crack Trent Thornton in the top of the fifth inning, getting a couple of runners on base after an error and one-out double. Josh Reddick recorded an RBI in his fourth-straight game with a single to tie the game 1-1, then George Springer pushed Houston ahead 4-1 after hitting a mammoth dinger 463 feet to score three more runs.
112.6 mph. 463 feet.
By George, he got all of it. pic.twitter.com/bW9wfob84V
— MLB (@MLB) August 31, 2019
Joe Biagini made his first appearance against his former team in the bottom of the fifth and was able to retire three in order. Houston continued to hit well in the top of the sixth, getting runners on second and third with no outs. Aledmys Diaz scored one on a sacrifice fly, then later in the inning Springer notched another RBI with a double to extend the lead to 6-1. Biagini was able to erase a leadoff single in the bottom of the inning, maintaining the five-run advantage to the seventh.
3) Wrapping up the win
Hector Rondon took over out of the bullpen for the bottom of the seventh but was met with a leadoff solo home run to cut the lead to 6-2. He was able to get the three outs to complete the inning, but not without two walks along the way. Alex Bregman was able to put the lead back to five runs with an RBI-single in the top of the eighth.
Chris Devenski was the next reliever for Houston in the bottom of the eighth, and despite allowing a two-out solo home run was able to keep the lead going into the ninth. Will Harris had the ninth, and he too allowed a solo home run but was able to record the final three outs to finish off the win.
Up Next: Game two of this three-game set will be Saturday at 2:07 PM. The expected pitching matchup is Clay Buchholz (0-3, 5.87 ERA) on the mound for the Blue Jays going against Framber Valdez (4-6, 5.14 ERA) for the Astros.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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