Astros take first game of the series
Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 4-2 win
May 9, 2019, 10:09 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
After winning the series against the Royals earlier in the week, the Astros turned the page to a four-game set with the Rangers starting on Thursday night. Here's how the first game of the series panned out:
Final Score: Astros 4, Rangers 2
Record: 23-15, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Wade Miley (3-2, 3.18 ERA)
Losing pitcher: Mike Minor (3-3, 2.68 ERA)
1) Six decent innings for Miley
Wade Miley added another good start to his 2019 season, going six innings and keeping the Rangers to two runs in that span. The two runs came on a two-run home run in the top of the fourth, which was one of just two hits he allowed on the night. Those two runs on two hits combined with two walks and seven strikeouts would add up to a good start. The seven strikeouts matched his season-best so far.
2) Offense backs him up
George Springer smashed his 13th home run of the early season in the bottom of the third which put Houston ahead 1-0 at the time. Down 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth, the Astros strung together some hits and a walk to load the bases before Alex Bregman hit a sac fly to tie the game at 2-2. They were unable to convert any more of those runners, though, keeping the game tied until the bottom of the next inning when Josh Reddick put Houston back ahead 3-2 on an RBI single.
Houston threatened again in the bottom of the eighth, looking to add some insurance runs to their one-run lead. They loaded the bases with one-out, then after a strikeout went to a pinch-hitting Michael Brantley who worked an RBI-walk to make it a 4-2 game. That's all they would come away with, but that was enough to get the win.
3) Another dominant showing from the bullpen
Will Harris took over in the seventh and worked around a one-out walk to keep the Astros in front by one run. Ryan Pressly pitched the eighth, just another ho hum scoreless inning to keep his record streak going. That set up Roberto Osuna for another save opportunity, which he converted thanks to a homer-robbing catch by Josh Reddick.
Up Next: Game two of this four-game series will get underway tomorrow night at 7:10 PM. The Astros will send out their ace, Justin Verlander (5-1, 2.86 ERA), to face off against Lance Lynn (4-2, 5.75 ERA) for the Rangers.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
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Isaac Paredes has been a steady force in the middle of the Astros’ order, but a tweaked hamstring suffered during Thursday’s win over the White Sox may force Houston to recalibrate, again.
If Paredes misses time, the most logical shuffle would see Jose Altuve sliding back to second base, with Mauricio Dubón stepping in at third. It’s a reasonable patch. But internally, there’s also some intrigue around whether Cam Smith—currently thriving in right field—could slide back to his original position on the infield. The idea isn’t without merit; Smith is the club’s best offensive option at third in Paredes’ absence. But defensively, it’s hard to justify moving him right now. Smith made several standout plays in the Chicago series, reinforcing just how important his glove has become to the Astros’ outfield defense. One thing is for sure, the Astros can't afford to play both Dubon and Brendon Rodgers in the infield regularly. The offense would take a huge hit.
Timing, however, might be on Houston’s side. The next stretch of games features the Twins, Athletics, and Angels—three teams the Astros can beat even while navigating lineup instability. It helps that Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker are showing signs of life at the plate. Diaz, in particular, has been red-hot, posting an OPS north of 1.200 over the past week. Walker is batting over .300 during that same span, giving the Astros enough firepower to survive short-term turbulence.
Elsewhere, the outfield presents its own set of choices. Jacob Melton has shown enough in the field to warrant a serious look as Chas McCormick’s replacement when he returns from injury. He’s still searching for consistency at the plate, batting under .200 in his first 10 big league games. But his arm and left-handed bat give manager Joe Espada a little more lineup flexibility—especially with Yordan Alvarez still out and the offense skewing right-handed.
For now, the Astros have room to adjust. But if Paredes ends up missing significant time, they’ll need more than just a few temporary solutions to keep their momentum going.
There's so much more to cover! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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