Astros sweep the two-game series in Mexico
Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 4 hits from the 10-4 win
May 5, 2019, 6:16 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
After an offensive explosion powered them past the Angels in the first game on Saturday, the Astros looked to make it a two-game sweep in Monterrey, Mexico on Sunday afternoon. Here are some quick facts and three takeaways from the game:
Final Score: Astros 10, Angels 4
Record: 20-14, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Justin Verlander (5-1, 2.86 ERA)
Losing pitcher: Matt Harvey (1-3, 6.94 ERA)
1) Verlander allows more homers, still gets the win
Justin Verlander was not immune to the elevation and climate in Monterrey, giving up a solo home run in the bottom of the first to continue his 2019 trend of a home run in every start. He'd allow another in the bottom of the second, a two-run home run which put the Angels ahead 3-2, then a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh to end his day. He'd leave with a 6-4 lead and was still able to strike out seven during his six and one-third innings of work.
2) Correa extends his hitting streak in another high-offense game
Carlos Correa wasted no time moving his hitting streak to 15 games, putting the Astros up 2-1 in the top of the second inning with a two-run opposite-field home run. That would start the scoring for Houston as they'd go on to score double-digits for the second straight day, with Jose Altuve and Robinson Chirinos both getting RBI-doubles later in the game along with two more RBIs for Michael Brantley on a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to give the Astros some insurance runs.
3) Bregman hits his third homer in Mexico
Fresh off of his two-homer night on Friday, Alex Bregman had another opportunity for a big moment when he came to the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the fifth. As he's done so many times in his early career, he came through, blasting a ball to straight-away center for the grand slam to push the Astros ahead 6-3, a big enough lead to keep them ahead for good.
4) Pressly extends scoreless streak and Osuna closes it out
Ryan Pressly would finish off the seventh for Verlander before extending his scoreless streak to 33 innings, a new franchise record, with a scoreless eighth to set up Roberto Osuna for the ninth. Osuna would take the mound in front of his native crowd and closed out the win with a scoreless inning.
Up Next: The Astros will fly back to Houston tonight and kick off a full week of games at Minute Maid Park tomorrow night against the Royals. First pitch of game one of the three-game set will be at 7:10 PM tomorrow night and will feature Gerrit Cole (2-4, 3.95 ERA) on the mound for Houston going against Jakob Junis (3-2, 5.12 ERA) for Kansas City.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
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The Houston Astros are in the middle of a midseason surge that’s turned heads across the American League, but don’t let the win streak distract from one key truth: they’re doing this with less.
So what’s powering the Astros’ recent run? It starts with elite pitching. Despite an offense that's been merely middle-of-the-pack — 14th in OPS, 20th in runs scored, and 17th in slugging — Houston ranks fifth in team ERA and leads the majors in batting average against (.218). That’s how they’re winning series while missing key pieces of their core.
Still, there’s more to this run than numbers. Is the resilience we’re seeing tangible evidence of the Astros’ winning culture? Absolutely — especially lately. Rookie Cam Smith is the latest example. He delivered the first walk-off hit of his career over the weekend and looks like he belongs in the big leagues. Meanwhile, the lineup has caught fire over the last week hitting:
- Jose Altuve: .429
- Jeremy Peña: .417
- Cam Smith: .304
- Yainer Diaz: .292
- Christian Walker: .278
And all of this has come without one of Houston’s top two hitters being unavailable for the Twins series, Isaac Paredes, who remains sidelined with a sore hamstring.
With 71 games in the books, the conversation around second-year manager Joe Espada is beginning to shift — from quiet confidence to serious consideration for AL Manager of the Year. The case is strong. Espada has navigated a bruised and bruising season that’s seen Yordan Alvarez miss extended time with a fractured bone in his hand and three key starting pitchers (Spencer Arrighetti, Hayden Wesneski, Ronel Blanco) land on the shelf — two of them for the year.
So, what would it take for Astros owner Jim Crane to give GM Dana Brown the green light to aggressively pursue help at the deadline? History suggests pitching would be the priority. But with young arms like Colton Gordon, Ryan Gusto, and Brandon Walter stepping up, a move may not feel necessary, especially if it means exceeding the luxury tax threshold.
The Astros might be banged up, but they’re thriving and proving they don’t need to be at full strength to play like contenders.
There's so much more to cover! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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