Astros get a shutout win against the Angels
Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 2 hits from the 4-0 win
Sep 27, 2019, 11:45 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
With a tough loss on Thursday to start this final four-game series of the season, Houston looked to extend their franchise-record winning season and stay on top of the race for home-field advantage through the World Series. Here is a quick look at Friday's game in Los Angeles against the Angels:
Final Score: Astros 4, Angels 0.
Record: 105-55, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Jose Urquidy (2-1, 3.95 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Patrick Sandoval (0-4, 5.03 ERA).
1) Urquidy builds trust with six shutout innings
While Wade Miley was unable to put together an impressive enough start the night before to fully secure trust in him as the fourth starter in Houston's rotation, Jose Urquidy took advantage of an opportunity on Friday night. He gave his team six shutout innings, showcasing his upside as a possible starter.
While it may not have won him the fourth spot in the playoff rotation since Wade Miley may still receive the benefit of the doubt, it was nonetheless a welcome sight to see him perform well. Urquidy's final line: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 HR.
2) Bregman and Brantley provide the offense
On the other side, the Astros were not able to put up much offense either in the early goings of the game, save a solo home run by Alex Bregman to lead off the top of the second which gave Houston the 1-0 lead they held through Urquidy's six innings and beyond.
6 homers in 11 games. @ABREG_1 is locked in. pic.twitter.com/eeouDL9xoH
— MLB (@MLB) September 28, 2019
Ryan Pressly took to the mound in the bottom of the seventh and had a quick 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. In the top of the eighth, the Astros were able to tack on to their lead after putting two runners on to set up a three-run homer for Michael Brantley to make it 4-0 Houston.
In the bottom of that inning, Will Harris tossed three strikeouts on nine pitches, all pitches resulting in strikes swinging or looking, an immaculate inning. Josh James closed things out in the ninth, securing home-field advantage for the Astros through at least the American League playoffs.
Up Next: Justin Verlander (20-6, 2.53 ERA) will make his final, likely abbreviated, start on Saturday as the Astros play the Angels again at 8:07 PM. Jose Suarez (2-4, 7.34 ERA) is the expected starter for Los Angeles.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. 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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