Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
The Astros were back in action Friday night at home against the Red Sox, looking to flip the page from a disappointing end to the four-game series with the White Sox that ended in a split. Here is a recap of the first game of the weekend series with Boston:
Final Score: Astros 4, Red Sox 3
Record: 34-18, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Wade Miley (5-2, 3.21 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Chris Sale (1-6, 4.19 ERA).
1) Springer back in the lineup, but exits late injured again
The Astros had one of the AL's best hitters back in the lineup on Friday night, putting George Springer back in the leadoff spot against Chris Sale after missing four games with back stiffness. It wasn't Springer who got the offense going, though, with Aledmys Diaz getting a single in the second then scoring on an error to put Houston on the board 1-0. Jake Marisnick doubled that score with a solo homer in the bottom of the third.
Houston added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, one on an RBI-groundout by Jake Marisnick, his second RBI of the night, then after an error during that same play moved Josh Reddick to third, Springer took advantage with a sac fly to make it a 4-0 lead.
Springer would exit the game later, though, after sliding in foul territory racing after a foul ball, injuring his leg. He limped to the dugout before slamming his glove down in frustration, though it's not clear how severe the injury is yet.
2) Miley on a mission
Wade Miley had a good night on the mound, especially against a potent Boston lineup. Miley was perfect through three innings and did not allow a hit until the fourth. He got into some trouble in the fifth, loading the bases with one out after a couple of singles and a walk, but answered back to leave the bases loaded and get out of the jam.
Back on the mound in the sixth, Boston was able to get on the board with a solo home run to make it a 4-1 game, but Miley would finish the inning and still finish with a great line: 6 innings pitched, 1 run, 4 hits, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts, the most in a start he's had dating all the way back to June 2017.
3) Harris, Pressly, and Osuna pull out the win
With Miley's night done after six one-run innings, Houston went to their bullpen starting with Will Harris in the seventh. Harris retired Boston in order for a 1-2-3 inning, setting up Ryan Pressly to take over in the eighth. Pressly would give up his first earned run in 39 innings and 40 appearances in the top of the eighth, a solo home run to trim the lead to 4-2. Pressly would struggle slightly after that, allowing two runners on a single and walk, but would leave them stranded as he would go on to strike out the side.
Roberto Osuna took the mound in the ninth, looking to continue his save streak. He'd do so, finishing out the win despite allowing a solo home run to get Boston within a run at 4-3.
Up Next: Game two of this series between Houston and Boston will get underway with first pitch at 6:15 PM tomorrow. The Astros will have Brad Peacock (5-2, 3.59 ERA) on the mound looking for his fourth straight win, but he'll have to do so by beating out David Price (2-2, 3.29 ERA) who will be on the mound for the Red Sox.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
How 3 major x-factors could tip the scales in Texans-Colts: Week 1
Sep 5, 2024, 7:27 pm
Each football game of a season carries much more weight than one game in a 162 Major League Baseball schedule. That reality, combined with the National Football League campaign opening and with it the most anticipated season in Texans’ history, the Astros are relegated to second banana this weekend. Just the way it goes despite the Astros’ phenomenal extended run from 10 games out of first place in mid-June to now having control of the American League West race and a likely (though definitely not yet certain) eighth consecutive year of postseason play.
It is reality that getting swept out of Cincinnati cost the Astros two games in the standings to Seattle the last two days and trimmed their division lead to four and a half games going into this weekend. There was nothing shameful about getting swept. It’s not as if they choked. They got outplayed and beaten in all three games. Stuff happens within a 162-game season. The 2019 Astros were vastly better than the 2024 Astros. The 2019 ‘Stros posted the best record in franchise history at 107-55. In Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole they had the two best pitchers in the AL. The Reds finished 75-87 in ’19. In the lone Astros-Reds series five years ago, Verlander and Cole started two of the three games. The Reds swept the Astros out of Cincy by scores of 3-2, 4-3, and 3-2. Stuff happens. The following week the Astros called up Yordan Alvarez. There is no Yordan coming to fortify the offense now, but wait! Is that Kyle Tucker's music?
The Astros host the NL champs this weekend
It’s highly unlikely but it’s still a possible World Series preview at Minute Maid Park this weekend with the Astros home for three games versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. The reigning National League Champions woke up under .500 July 11, but since then have been sizzling with 33 wins against just 15 losses. Over the same time frame the Astros are 27-21. The Diamondbacks by a large margin have scored the most runs in MLB this season, and that’s while playing the last nearly three weeks without Ketel Marte because of a high ankle sprain. Marte has been far and away the best second baseman in the game this year. He may return this weekend in a designated hitter role. The Arizona offense overall has been sensational, however it has vulnerability against left-handed pitching, in significant part because it typically takes lefty-hitting platoon beast Joc Pederson out of the lineup. The D’Backs are 55-35 in games facing right-handed starters, just 24-27 in games started by opposing southpaws. The Astros have lefties Framber Valdez and Yusei Kikuchi set to go in the first two games this weekend. While the Astros deal with the Diamondbacks the Mariners are in St. Louis for three against the Cardinals.
Eleven Diamondbacks have had at least 200 plate appearances this season. Only one of them has an OPS below .725. The Astros also have 11 guys with at least 200 PAs. Five of them lug around sub-.715 OPSes: Jeremy Pena (.714), Jake Meyers (.664), Mauricio Dubon (.645), Jon Singleton (.697), and Chas McCormick (.566).
Maximizing Tucker's return
Speaking of returns, Tucker fiiiiiiinally should see action for the first time since his June 3 bone bruise. Oh wait, broken leg. Shame on the Astros for their BSing over this and other injuries. Yeah, Alex Bregman slept funny. Whatever. To boost the lineup Tucker doesn’t have to be the .979 OPS MVP candidate he was when felled. Ben Gamel has done some good work, but over time he’s Ben Gamel. Same for Jason Heyward. If Tucker's legs are under him his power is a B-12 shot and only Yordan is in his league in on-base percentage. Joe Espada has decisions to make as to how slot the batting order. Against a right-handed starter Jose Altuve, Tucker, Alvarez, Yainer Diaz, Bregman one through five makes sense with Tucker dropping down below Yainer against a left-handed starter. No question those are the top five in some order. How much of a workload Tucker is ready for bears watching. Presumably he doesn’t initially play the outfield day in day out. When Tucker DHs obviously Bregman (and Yordan) can’t so Alex’s ailing elbow holding up is key. One might say hopefully the bone chips don’t fall where they may. Tuesday the Astros start a stretch playing 16 days in a row.
Keep hope alive!
If you’re an Astros fan holding out hope of chasing down the second seed to avoid having to play the best-of-three Wild Card series, say it with me, whatever nausea it may induce: “Go Dodgers Go!” Hurt as it might, business is business. The Dodgers play host to the Guardians. The Astros trail Cleveland by five games with just 22 to play, but do finish the regular season with three games at Cleveland. It's pretty much over for the Astros to catch both the Orioles and Yankees.
Season-long trends mean nothing once the playoffs start, and that’s a good thing for the Astros provided they are in the playoffs. They continue to flat out stink in close games. Thursday’s 1-0 loss to the Reds has the Astros record in one-run games at 15-24. In two-run games they are 10-14. Correlatively, the Astros also continue to routinely fail late in close games. The Astros have played 14 games that were tied after seven innings. They have lost 11 of the 14. In games tied after eight innings they are 7-13. Every team loses an extremely high percentage of games when trailing after eight innings, but the Astros haven’t pulled out a single game they’ve trailed going to the ninth. 0-50. Oh and fifty. But hey, the White Sox are 0-92!
*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and I discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.