Astros finally snap their losing streak

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 9-4 win

Chris Campise
Jun 23, 2019, 2:53 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Once again the Astros would take the field with hopes of ending their current losing streak by finding a way to break out of their recent slump and run of bad luck. A victory would not only get them back in the win column; it would secure the season-series win against the Yankees with the first six games being split 3-3 between the two teams. Here's how the series finale wound up:

Final Score: Astros 9, Yankees 4.

Record: 49-30, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Justin Verlander (10-3, 2.67 ERA).

Losing pitcher: J.A. Happ (7-4, 5.23 ERA).

1) Bats finally connect

In his interim role as the leadoff hitter, Jose Altuve set the tone of the game in the very first at-bat by launching a solo home run to put Houston ahead 1-0. Altuve would score again in the third inning, this time on an RBI-single by Michael Brantley to extend the lead to 2-0.

Then, in the top of the fourth, the Astros finally looked like the daunting lineup they are supposed to be. They started the inning on three consecutive singles by Yuli Gurriel, Robinson Chirinos, and Josh Reddick to load the bases for Tyler White. White would deliver his third home run of the season, a grand slam to extend Houston's lead to 6-0.

They would continue to score in the next inning, getting a leadoff single from Michael Brantley to set up a two-run home run from Yordan Alvarez, his third in this four-game series and his seventh in his first twelve games. Yuli Gurriel made it back-to-back home runs in the next at-bat, hitting a solo shot to make it a 9-0 Houston lead.

2) Verlander gets win number 10 

Justin Verlander provided another great start for his team, working well with and maintaining the lead he was given throughout the afternoon. Verlander allowed just one hit and two walks over the first four innings before allowing a couple of two-out singles then a three-run home run in the fifth.

That made it a 9-3 game, and Verlander would lock right back in and retire the next seven batters in order to complete seven innings during which he'd notch nine more strikeouts. The win put him at ten on the season, moving him back into the tie on top of the AL for wins. Verlander's final line: 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 1 HR.

3) Devenski and Osuna finish off the win

With Verlander's day done after seven innings of three-run baseball, Chris Devenski took over in the eighth and would allow a run before sending things on to the ninth. Roberto Osuna, who hadn't pitched since Wednesday, was given some work despite the non-save situation and was able to close things out to provide Houston with their first victory since beating the Blue Jays last Saturday.

Up Next: Houston will travel back to Houston tomorrow and enjoy a much-needed day off on Monday to refresh and reset for a six-game homestand starting on Tuesday. They'll pick up a three-game series with the Pirates on Tuesday at 7:10 PM with game one featuring Gerrit Cole (6-5, 3.54 ERA) on the mound for the Astros facing his former team. The Pirates are expected to counter with Trevor Williams (2-1, 4.12 ERA).

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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Astros finish the series with a win

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 6-2 win

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

With an overpowering win on Wednesday night, the Astros went into the series finale on Thursday night hoping to split the series and travel back to Houston on a good note. Here is how the game went:

Final Score: Astros 6, Angels 2.

Record: 61-37, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Wade Miley (8-4, 3.25 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Matt Harvey (3-5, 7.09 ERA).

1) Bats stay hot

Houston's offense provided another significant lead early in Thursday night's game, getting two two-out walks in the top of the first to set up a two-RBI double by Yordan Alvarez to take an immediate 2-0 lead. They followed that up with a three-run third inning, including RBIs from Josh Reddick and Yuli Gurriel along with a solo home run by George Springer.

Alex Bregman extended the lead in the fifth, getting a solo home run of his own to make it a 6-0 lead. They would ride those six runs all the way to the end to the victory.

2) Miley with a decent start

Wade Miley had an excellent start to his night, getting through the first four innings without allowing a hit with just a couple of walks. He allowed the first hit to the Angels in the fifth, but would not allow a run until the sixth.

In the bottom of the sixth, Miley would have his worst inning of the evening, allowing a couple of hits which paired with an error would end up putting the Angels in position to trim the lead to 6-2. Will Harris came in to finish off the inning.

Still, it was a decent night for Miley, and with the early offense behind him, he was able to leave in line for the win. His final line: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3K, 0 HR.

3) Bullpen finishes off the series split

After Harris finished off the sixth for Miley, the seventh belonged to Collin McHugh. Mchugh worked around a one-out double, keeping it at 6-2 heading to the eighth.

Ryan Pressly took over for his usual eighth-inning role, and he was able to work around a leadoff double by Mike Trout by retiring the next three batters to send things to the ninth. Roberto Osuna came in for the ninth and recorded the final three outs, despite a two-out triple, to complete the win.

Up Next: The Astros will take a late-night flight back to Houston tonight to start a weekend three-game series with the Rangers beginning on Friday night. The series opener will be at 7:10 PM tomorrow and it the expected pitching matchup is Mike Minor (8-4, 2.73 ERA) for the Rangers going up against Houston's ace, Justin Verlander (11-4, 2.98 ERA).

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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