Astros complete the sweep of Seattle

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 6-1 win

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 6-1 win
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

With the series win already locked up, the Astros looked to complete the series sweep on Sunday to end their homestand on a high note. Here's a quick rundown of Sunday's game:

Final Score: Astros 6, Mariners 1.

Record: 53-32, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Gerrit Cole (8-5, 3.28 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Marco Gonzalez (9-7, 4.39 ERA).

1) Alvarez back in the lineup 

After getting a couple of days to rest his knee that he fouled a ball off earlier this week, Yordan Alvarez was in the lineup for the first time in this series against the Mariners. He made his presence in the batting order known, erasing a 1-0 deficit in the bottom of the first inning with a two-RBI double to give the Astros a 2-1 lead.

Alex Bregman blasted a ball with one out in the bottom of the third, coming just short of a home run but getting a fortunate bounce off the wall to result in a stand-up triple. Alvarez was up next and quickly took advantage, getting his third RBI of the day on a single to extend the lead to 3-1. He'd go 2-for-3 with an intentional walk and the 3 RBIs on the day.

2) Great day for Cole 

Gerrit Cole did not look like he was going to have a great day after the first inning where he allowed a one-out solo home run to give Seattle a quick 1-0 lead. He'd quickly and efficiently rebound from that mistake, though, locking in and keeping the Mariners off the board over the next six innings.

He'd also work his was to another double-digit strikeout game, getting ten over his seven innings to bring his season total to 161. Cole's final line: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, 1 HR.

3) Astros tack on a few more

With Cole's day done after his seven innings of one-run baseball, Collin McHugh took over in the top of the eighth. He would get the first two outs relatively quickly, but then allowed a single and a walk, prompting another call to the bullpen to bring out Ryan Pressly to get the final out of the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, Houston put runners on second and third on a leadoff single from Josh Reddick followed by a double from Max Stassi. With one out, Jake Marisnick took advantage and drove in both with a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 5-1, then later scored on an RBI-single by Jose Altuve to make it 6-1.

With the five-run lead, Houston turned to Josh James to wrap up the game and the sweep in the top of the ninth. He did just that, striking out the side to help the Astros extend their division lead to 6.5 games with the win.

Up Next: The Astros will travel to Colorado tonight and get a day off tomorrow before starting a quick two-game series with the Rockies on Tuesday. With Brad Peacock going onto the injured list, Houston has not yet named their starter for the first of the two games, but the Rockies are expected to start German Marquez (8-3, 4.29 ERA).

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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Kyle Tucker returns to Houston this weekend. Composite Getty Image.

Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.

The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.

The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.

On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.

Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.

It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.

The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.

How the mighty have fallen.

Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.

Screenshot via: MLB.com



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