Astros wait until the ninth to deliver final blow out west
ASTROS SWEEP THE SERIES!
23 July
ASTROS SWEEP THE SERIES!
Christian Walker singled home the go-ahead run in the ninth inning and the Houston Astros beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.
WALKER FOR THE LEAD!#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/WDf7uZKB9C
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 23, 2025
Zack Short and Taylor Trammell started the ninth with bunt singles against Kevin Ginkel (1-4). One out later, Walker, a former Diamondback, hit a grounder up the middle to score Short.
Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 27th save and the Astros, who have won four in a row took a six-game lead in the AL West.
Arizona trailed 3-1 entering the eighth, but Geraldo Perdomo led off with a double off reliever Bennett Sousa (4-0). Ketel Marte singled to drive in Perdomo, Corbin Carroll doubled to right sending Marte to third. Marte scored the tying run on Josh Naylor’s single.
Brandon Walter had held the Diamondbacks to one run and four hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out five, throwing just 82 pitches.
Walter doing the job. #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/4kamv3p1oj
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 23, 2025
Marte hit Walter’s first pitch of the game for a home run, his 20th of the season.
The Astros scored twice in the sixth. Walker led off with a double off Brandon Pfaadt, then advanced to third when Yainer Diaz also doubled. But Walker scored when shortstop Perdomo booted Brice Matthews’ grounder for an error. Diaz scored the go-ahead run on reliever Andrew Saalfrank’s wild pitch.
Houston made it 3-1 when Diaz doubled off Trevor Richards leading off the eighth and scored on Mauricio Dubón’s single.
Perdomo went 4 for 4.
Postgame reaction
Walker joined Space City Home Network after the game and discussed sweeping his former team and much more!
Christian Walker drives in the winning run in the 9th as the #Astros win 4-3 and sweep the Diamondbacks
Walker talked with @Lo_Callender after the @astros WIN#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/A3LvmK9JCy
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) July 23, 2025
Key moment
Sousa got Arizona’s Randal Grichuk to hit into a double play with the bases loaded to end the eighth.
Key stat
Walter has only walked four batters in 53 2/3 innings this season.
Next
Arizona is off Thursday before beginning a nine-game trip Friday in Pittsburgh. Houston returns home to play the Athletics; the Astros have not announced a Thursday starter.
José Soriano and two relievers combined for a two-hitter and Oswald Peraza hit his first home run since a trade from the Yankees to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Soriano (10-9) allowed one hit and struck out eight in seven innings. Luis García allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen threw a perfect ninth for his 25th save.
There were two outs in the fifth when Peraza connected off Hunter Brown (10-7) into the bullpen in right-center field to put the Angels up 1-0. His homer comes after his two-run single in the ninth inning Saturday helped Los Angeles to a 4-1 victory that snapped a three-game skid.
Yoan Moncada walked to start the eighth and scored on Mike Trout’s double that bounced off the wall in center field to make it 2-0. Taylor Ward walked before Luis Rengifo reached and Trout scored on an error by Lance McCullers Jr. when the pitcher overthrew first base.
Yordan Alvarez singled with no outs in the first and Soriano walked a batter in the second and sixth innings. The Astros didn’t get another hit until Ramón Urías doubled with one out in the eighth inning. Los Angeles outfielder Taylor Ward was injured trying to make a catch on that hit when he crashed face-first into the metal scoreboard in left field.
He was carted off the field holding a towel to the right side of his face. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance where interim manager Ray Montgomery said he would receive stitches to close the cut and be evaluated.
Brown allowed three hits and a run with five strikeouts in six innings. McCullers Jr. allowed three hits and two runs in his first relief appearance since 2018.
The home run by Peraza.
It’s the fifth time the Astros have been shut out this month.
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 3.68 ERA) will start for Los Angeles in the series finale Monday against RHP Luis Garcia, who’ll make his return after sitting out since May 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery.