Houston's losing streak extended to six games
Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 2 hits from the 4-1 loss
Jun 21, 2019, 9:15 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Houston was desperate to get a win and end their five-game skid on Friday night against the Yankees in the Bronx. Here is a recap of game two of four against New York:
Final Score: Yankees 4, Astros 1.
Record: 48-29, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: James Paxton (5-3, 3.75 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Brad Peacock (6-5, 3.62 ERA).
1) Great start for Peacock
Brad Peacock had about as good of a start as the Astros could have asked from him on Friday night. He only had one major mistake, a two-run home run to Gary Sanchez in the third which put New York up 2-0. Other than that, he was dominant for most of the night against the Yankees' potent lineup as he would go on to strike out eleven while issuing zero walks.
Unfortunately, he would not get the offense needed behind him to get a win. Peacock's final line: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, 1 HR. Hector Rondon took over for Peacock to pitch the seventh, but unlike the great inning of relief the night before would allow a two-run home run to extend New York's lead to 4-1. Chris Devenski wrapped up the pitching night for Houston with a quick 1-2-3 eighth inning.
2) Missed chances for the offense
It was another frustrating night on offense for Houston, who other than an RBI-double by Jake Marisnick in the top of the fourth to trim the lead to 2-1 would be unable to convert scoring opportunities. The Astros would get plenty of traffic on the bases, but all for naught as they'd strand twelve runners on base and go 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position in the loss.
Up Next: Game three of this four-game series will get underway at 6:10 PM tomorrow and will air on FOX. The pitching matchup is expected to be Wade Miley (6-4, 3.30 ERA) for the Astros and Masahiro Tanaka (5-5, 3.23 ERA) for the Yankees.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
Takeaways from the Tigers sweep of the Astros
Total butt kicking. The offense was dreadful, scoring just two runs over three games. However, what’s killing the offense the most is the outfield. Outside of when Altuve plays left field, Houston doesn’t have another major league-quality outfielder right now. Jesus Sanchez not only swung at a Charlie Morton curveball that hit him in the knee, he’s also ice-cold, going 0-for-28 at the plate. At least he’s someone you expect to turn things around, but he’s in a huge slump currently. Beyond him, Jacob Melton, Taylor Trammell, and Chas McCormick have all been dragging down the offense. Cam Smith is struggling too, with just one hit in his last seven games.
Is Framber Valdez going to be okay?
Starting pitching was another big issue against the Tigers, and Valdez was a key part of the problem, basically losing the finale in the first inning after allowing six runs. This isn’t an outlier—he’s got a 7+ ERA through four starts in August. Spencer Arrighetti isn’t faring much better, posting a 7+ ERA through three starts. One silver lining with Valdez: the Tigers know him well. They had success against him in the playoffs last season, and it looks like they’re continuing that formula—force him to throw strikes, hit the other way on the sinker, and if the curveball isn’t up, let it go. AJ Hinch knows the deal.
Is the return of Yordan Alvarez enough to boost the offense?
It has to be. The only real way to give this lineup a spark is getting Yordan and Jake Meyers back. Yordan had a successful first rehab outing, collecting a couple of hits, a walk, and even a stolen base. Adding him back to the top of the lineup gives the Astros a formidable top four: Peña, Altuve, Yordan, and Correa. As for Meyers, the outfield has been the biggest drag on the offense. The key is whether he can continue to hit near .300 when he returns from injury. If he does, Altuve and Meyers in the outfield makes a huge difference, and Joe Espada can figure out right field with Sanchez and Smith.
Is the schedule not as soft as anticipated?
We’ve seen some strange results across the league this week, and some of that has to be chalked up to the Dog Days of Summer. Players are tired, and results have been wild. Thankfully, the Mariners are struggling too, giving the Astros some breathing room. Player adjustments after the trade deadline could also be a factor—Sanchez, anyone? Many big free agents have struggled immediately after changing teams, Walker and Juan Soto included.
Can they recover and take advantage of bad teams?
One thing we know about this year’s Astros: they can flip the switch and win multiple series on a moment’s notice. They’re just as capable of sweeping a series as they are of getting swept. Let’s hope that starts with four wins in Baltimore.
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