Astros power past the Mariners for fifth straight win
Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 11-5 win
Jun 5, 2019, 12:32 am
Astros power past the Mariners for fifth straight win
Houston took the first game of this four-game set on Monday night and looked to take game two and extend their winning streak to five games with a victory on Tuesday. Here's the result of the game:
Final Score: Astros 11, Mariners 5.
Record: 42-20, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Reymin Guduan (1-0, 6.00 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Brandon Brennan (2-4, 3.94 ERA).
It was an exchange of solo home runs early in the game, starting with Tony Kemp who put Houston ahead 1-0 with one in the top of the third. Seattle answered with one of their own to tie the game 1-1 in the bottom of the same inning, but Robinson Chirinos would break the tie right away in the top of the fourth with a crushed solo homer, make it 2-1 Astros.
Houston extended that lead in the top of the fifth on three-straight doubles including RBI-doubles for Alex Bregman and Michael Brantley, making it a 4-1 lead. The lead would not last long, though, as the Mariners would trim the lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth then load the bases to set up a go-ahead bases-clearing double to put the Astros behind 5-4.
Houston would put together a big top of the seventh to erase the deficit, getting RBIs from Derek Fisher, Yuli Gurriel, and another for Bregman to grab a two-run lead at 7-5. They kept the scoring going in the eighth, knocking in four more runs to get to double-digits after an RBI-single from Myles Straw, another RBI for Bregman on a sac fly, and a two-RBI double for Jake Marisnick, extending the lead to 11-5.
Wade Miley started the game with five relatively strong innings, allowing just one run which came on a solo home run to tie the game 1-1 at the time. Miley returned to the mound for the sixth, but with a high pitch count and a close game was pulled after starting the inning with a walk and single. Those two runners in the sixth would eventually score, giving Miley a couple of extra earned runs. His final line – 5 IP, 3H, 3R, 3 BB, 6 K.
Josh James was first out of the bullpen, but after getting two outs would falter and allow an RBI-single then walk to load the bases, ending his appearance quickly. Next out was Reymin Guduan, called up just today to replace Corbin Martin who was optioned down to AAA after his recent struggles. Guduan would have his own issues, allowing the go-ahead three-RBI double which gave Miley an additional earned run on the night and two to James.
After Seattle put together the big sixth inning, Will Harris would be next out of the bullpen to take over in the seventh and was able to work around a walk for a scoreless frame. Chris Devenski replaced Harris in the eighth, and thanks to a homerun-robbing catch by Josh Reddick was able to send the 11-5 game to the ninth.
In the ninth, Brady Rodgers made his second appearance after his 2019 debut on May 22nd where he went two innings while allowing a run. Tonight, though, he was asked for just one inning and would get it in scoreless fashion to cap off the win.
Up Next: The Astros and Mariners will have one more 9:10 PM start time in this series on Wednesday before an afternoon game on Thursday. Brad Peacock (5-2, 3.17 ERA) will be on the mound for Houston who will look to make it six straight wins with him on the bump. Mike Leake (4-6, 4.71 ERA) is the projected starter for Seattle.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!