Astros get the series win against the Cardinals
Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 6-2 win
Jul 28, 2019, 4:40 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
The series finale between the Astros and Cardinals was a rubber game after the teams split the first two games. Here is a quick recap of Sunday's matchup:
Final Score: Astros 6, Cardinals 2.
Record: 68-39, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Wade Miley (9-4, 3.06 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Dakota Hudson (10-5, 3.88 ERA).
1) Altuve with a milestone in another strong offensive performance
After a blowout the day before, Houston's offense continued to pummel the Cardinals on Sunday in the series finale. It started with the first at-bat of the afternoon, as George Springer launched the second pitch of the game for a dinger to put the Astros ahead 1-0 immediately.
Yordan Alvarez, making a start in left field after missing the starting lineup the first two games in the DH-less series, doubled Houston's lead with a solo home run in the top of the third. Wade Miley, who put down a successful bunt earlier in the game, led off the fifth inning by working a walk. Springer followed that up with a double, putting runners on second and third.
Jose Altuve dug into the box next, needing just one hit to reach 1,500 on his career. He made it a loud and memorable one, crushing a ball to left field for a three-run home run, making it a 5-0 game.
2) Good, but short start for Miley
After nearly completing a full nine innings in his last start, Wade Miley did not have the same level of dominance against the Cardinals. He had traffic on the bases in nearly every inning, giving up a walk or single in each except for his last, the fifth.
Still, he did well not to allow any runs, working in and out of trouble several times including stranding the bases loaded in the third. Miley's final line: 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 0 HR.
3) Houston wins the series
That set up the bullpen to complete the final four innings. Collin McHugh started the afternoon for the bullpen in the bottom of the sixth but would allow St. Louis' first run of the day before getting through the inning, making it a 5-1 game. Hector Rondon had the seventh and worked around an error for a scoreless inning.
Houston pushed the lead back to five runs in the top of the eighth, getting an RBI-double from Michael Brantley to make it 6-1. Chris Devenski took over on the mound in the bottom of the eighth, a 1-2-3 inning to send things on to the ninth.
After a quick top of the ninth, Devenski stayed in to get the last three outs, and despite allowing a leadoff home run to make it 6-2, would do so to secure the series win for Houston.
Up Next: Houston will have a day off tomorrow, but stay on the road to pick up a three-game series with the Indians in Cleveland. The series opener is Tuesday at 6:10 PM and the expected pitching matchup is a good one with Justin Verlander (13-4, 2.86 ERA) on the mound for the Astros going against Shane Bieber (10-3, 3.44 ERA) for the Indians.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
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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