Houston starts the season with a victory
Astros cruise past A's for Opening Day win
Apr 2, 2021, 12:36 am
Houston starts the season with a victory
Alex Bregman and Michael Brantley celebrate a home run on Opening Day 2021
After coming a game shy of making their third World Series appearance in four years, the Astros left behind the pandemic-shortened 2020 season where they fell to the Rays in the ALCS and turned their attention to a new, clean 162-game slate. As far as the fans at Oakland Coliseum were concerned Thursday night, though, their reputation was anything but clean, as Houston began their 2021 regular season playing their first regular-season game in front of booing fans to start a four-game series against the A's. The Astros were able to weather the hostility, driving in enough runs to back up a solid start by Zack Greinke to start the year 1-0.
Final Score: Astros 8, A's 1
Astros' Record: 1-0, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Zack Greinke
Losing Pitcher: Chris Bassitt
Both teams began the night quietly at the plate, with just a lone hit on each side through three innings. Houston fared better the second time through their lineup, starting with Jose Altuve, who led off the fourth with a walk, advanced to third on a double by Michael Brantley, then scored on an RBI-groundout by Alex Bregman, the first run of the season to give the Astros a 1-0 lead.
The reason for the quiet start for both offenses — an entertaining pitching matchup was unfolding against Chris Bassitt and Zack Greinke. While Bassitt allowed a run in the fourth, he was otherwise successful on the mound until the sixth, when he would be relieved after a one-out double followed by a walk. Both of those runs would eventually score, as later in the inning, Yordan Alvarez sent a fastball the opposite way off the left-field wall for a two-RBI double to extend the lead to 3-0.
Yordan adds two more to the scoreboard, its 3-0 #Astros
Stay up late and lets get another #OpeningDay win!#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/nATJuBdA0w
— AT&T SportsNet SW (@ATTSportsNetSW) April 2, 2021
For Houston, Greinke was on cruise control tossing six scoreless frames, during which he allowed only three hits and just one runner to make it to scoring position. It being just the first game of the season, Dusty Baker did not try to test him too far, going to his bullpen after six innings. Greinke's final line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 82 P.
Enoli Paredes took over in the seventh, allowing Oakland's first run of the night and season after a leadoff double would come around on a sac-fly to make it a 3-1 game. Paredes would toss more pitches than he bargained for but eventually completed the frame with only the one run allowed.
Michael Brantley took the run right back in the top of the eighth, leading the inning off with a solo home run to push the lead back to three runs. Alex Bregman made it back-to-back homers in the next at-bat, crushing one of his own 418 feet to the left-field stands, extending the lead to 5-1. Houston would load the bases on two walks and a pitch into Yordan Alvarez's back but left them stranded to keep the score there.
Joe Smith, who opted out of the 2020 season, made his return to regular-season play, coming in out of the bullpen for the bottom of the eighth. He faced four batters, getting two outs while allowing two hits before left-handed Blake Taylor would come in to counter lefty Matt Olson, who struck out to end the frame.
In the top of the ninth, former-Astro Reymin Guduan loaded the bases with no outs after a single and back-to-back walks to start things off. Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez would both bring in runs on a sac fly, Michael Brantley scored on a wild pitch, and when the dust settled, it was now an 8-1 game. Ryne Stanek was given the bottom of the ninth with the large lead, which he would complete to finish off the win.
Up Next: The second of this four-game series will be another late start in the Central time zone, getting underway at 8:40 PM on Friday. Cristian Javier (5-2, 3.48 ERA in 2020) will look to build upon the success he found in 2020 for the Astros, starting on the mound opposite of Jesus Luzardo (3-2, 4.12 ERA) for the A's.
The Houston Astros (21-20) host the Kansas City Royals (25-19) on Wednesday night at Daikin Park in the rubber match of a three-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.
The series is tied 1-1, with both teams trading wins and showcasing the depth that’s kept them competitive early in the season. This will be the sixth meeting between the clubs this year, with Kansas City holding a slight edge in the season series, 3-2.
Pitching matchup
Houston hands the ball to rookie left-hander Colton Gordon, who is set to make his MLB debut. The 26-year-old will look to keep a red-hot Royals lineup in check while giving the Astros a glimpse of their pitching future.
Kansas City counters with veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen (3-3, 3.57 ERA), who has quietly anchored the Royals’ rotation. Lorenzen has struck out 40 batters over 45.1 innings and enters the game with a 1.26 WHIP.
Team trends
Houston enters the night just above .500 and has played well at home (14-9), backed by an offense that ranks 10th in the AL with a .379 slugging percentage. The Astros have hit .289 as a team over their last 10 games and have outscored opponents by 11 runs during that stretch.
Kansas City, meanwhile, continues to surprise in the AL Central. The Royals have gone 7-3 over their last 10 games with a solid 2.74 team ERA and an equally impressive .277 team batting average in that span. However, they’re under .500 on the road at 9-12.
Players to watch
For the Astros, Jake Meyers has been a steady presence at the plate, leading the team with a .308 average and contributing across the board. Jeremy Peña has also heated up recently, batting .349 over his last 10 games with a pair of home runs and nine RBIs.
The Royals continue to ride the bat of Bobby Witt Jr., who’s slashing .312 with 17 doubles and five homers. Kyle Isbel has quietly been effective too, hitting .357 over his last 10 games with extra-base pop.
Betting odds
According to BetMGM, the Astros are favored at -139 on the moneyline, with the Royals at +118. The over/under is set at 8 runs.
With both teams playing well and the series on the line, Wednesday night’s matchup offers a compelling mix of youth, momentum, and early-season implications for two surging squads.
Here's a sneak peek at Wednesday night's lineup.
Gordon debut.
⚾️: 7:10pm
🏟️: Closed
📺: @SpaceCityHN
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 93.3 FM#BuiltForThis x @reliantenergy pic.twitter.com/nzJhNJzvAc
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 14, 2025
Nothing too surprising going on here. Zach Dezenzo is getting the start over Cam Smith in right field. Victor Caratini will be the only left-handed bat (switch hitter) against Lorenzen, as he'll be catching Gordon in his big league debut, with Yainer Diaz in the DH spot. Mauricio Dubon will be playing second base, with Brendan Rodgers getting the night off.
*ChatGPT assisted.
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