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.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.