Astros secure the series win as Justin Verlander passes Cy Young
Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 2 hits from the 5-1 win
Jun 1, 2019, 11:44 pm
Astros secure the series win as Justin Verlander passes Cy Young
After taking the first game of the series on Friday night, the Astros looked to secure yet another series win by getting a victory on Saturday. Here are the facts from the game:
Final Score: Astros 5, A's 1.
Record: 39-20, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Justin Verlander (9-2, 2.27 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Brett Anderson (6-4, 3.95 ERA).
It was a great all-around night for Justin Verlander on the mound. He did allow a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning which at the time gave Oakland a 1-0 lead, but that would be one of the few blemishes on an otherwise terrific night for Houston's ace. He'd go on to throw eight one-run innings, earning him his ninth win on the season, improving his record to 9-2.
Also, Verlander's sixth and seventh strikeouts on the night put him in a tie then ahead of none other than Cy Young on the all-time strikeout leaderboard and in sole position of 21st on the list of the game's greatest pitchers. Verlander is likely to pass several more before season's end.
With Verlander's night done after eight innings, Will Harris took over to close out the win in the ninth. He'd do, securing the series win and keeping the Astros out to an eight-game lead in the division.
After looking up at a 1-0 deficit early, it was Josh Reddick who provided another dose of power back at his old stomping grounds of the Oakland Coliseum. He connected on a home run in the top of the fourth inning, making it back-to-back games, which with a runner on base made it a go-ahead shot and gave Houston a 2-1 lead, a lead they'd never give up. Alex Bregman was gifted an RBI in the top of the fifth, hitting a shallow shot into right field that fell in on a defensive miscue by Oakland, extending the lead to 3-1.
In the bottom of the eighth, Reddick struck again by leading off the inning with a single, setting up a two-run home run by Robinson Chirinos. That gave Houston two more insurance runs with a 5-1 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth.
Up Next: The Astros and A's will wrap up this series with a 3:07 PM start time on Sunday afternoon. Gerrit Cole (5-5, 4.02 ERA) will look to get his second win in a row as he continues to rack up dominant strikeout numbers as he goes up against Chris Bassitt (3-1, 3.27 ERA) for Oakland.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
Cam Smith hit an RBI single in the eighth inning to give the Houston Astros a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.
CAM SMITH COMES THROUGH! #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/Y6dtPpXF9J
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 26, 2025
The rookie's second hit of the game came off Orion Kerkering (5-3) and gave the Astros their fourth straight win.
Brandon Marsh tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the top of the inning to end the Phillies' 26-inning scoreless streak.
The Astros took a 1-0 lead on Yainer Diaz’s RBI single in the second inning. They only managed three more hits off Phillies starter Christopher Sanchez, who struck out 11 with zero walks over six innings. Sanchez has not issued a walk in three straight starts.
Hunter Brown lowered his league best ERA to 1.74 by scattering three singles over seven shutout innings, with nine strikeouts. He did not allow a runner to reach second base.
FULL THROTTLE.
Hunter Brown now leads the MLB in lowest ERA (1.74). #BuiltForFuel pic.twitter.com/nkwT2MpgJQ
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 26, 2025
Bryan Abreu (3-3) struck out Trea Turner to end the eighth, and then struck out Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm, and Nick Castellanos in the ninth.
Abreu joined Julia Morales after the game and talked about his impressive performance!
🧹🧹🧹
After the @Astros completed their sweep of the Phillies, @JuliaMorales visited with Bryan Abreu!#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/UeOOSNDKwW
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) June 26, 2025
Rafael Marchán had two of the Phillies' four hits. Bryson Stott reached base twice and scored the Phillies' lone run.
Smith’s RBI.
Brown’s 1.74 ERA is the fourth best in Astros history through 16 starts and the best since Justin Verlander posted a 1.60 ERA through 16 starts in 2018.
The Astros open a three-game series against the Cubs on Friday with LHP Brandon Walter (0-1 3.80 ERA) on the mound.
The Phillies open a three-game series at the Braves on Friday with RHP Mick Abel (2-1 3.47 ERA) against Atlanta RHP Bryce Elder (2-4 4.77).