BAD FRAMBER STRIKES AGAIN
Framber struggles as Astros drop opener to Cardinals
Apr 15, 2025, 1:37 pm
The Cardinals beat the Astros, 8-3. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
Nolan Arenado homered and Brendan Donovan went 4 for 4, helping Sonny Gray and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 8-3 on Monday night.
Arenado also doubled twice and scored two runs in the opener of a three-game series. Donovan extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
Gray (3-0) pitched seven scoreless innings. He allowed three hits, struck out four and walked one.
The Cardinals have won Gray's last eight home starts dating to last season.
Astros left-hander Framber Valdez (1-2) was tagged for seven runs — six earned — in four-plus innings. Five of the 10 hits he allowed were doubles.
Arenado hit a solo drive off Luis Contreras in the eighth. It was his second homer of the season.
The Cardinals broke it open with three runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth.
Pedro Pagés hit a two-run double to make it 3-0 in the fourth. Nolan Gorman's sacrifice fly extended the lead to 7-0 in the fifth.
Donovan scored twice and drove in a run. He is batting an NL-high .391.
Houston's Jeremy Peña hit a three-run homer off Roddery Muñoz with two outs in the ninth.
Key moment
Arenado drove in the first run in the fifth. He fouled off four straight offerings in a 10-pitch at-bat before ripping an RBI double to left.
Key stat
Gray set the tone when he retired Jose Altuve, Isaac Paredes and Yordan Alvarez in order in the first inning. The Astros’ only hit off Gray through five was catcher Yainer Diaz’s infield single in the second.
Up next
Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (1-1, 2.00 ERA) starts on Tuesday night. Right-hander Erick Fedde (1-1, 4.50 ERA) makes his fourth start for the Cardinals.
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The Houston Astros will aim to lock up a series victory Tuesday night as they face the Tampa Bay Rays in the second game of a three-game set. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.
Houston (25–22) took the opener 4–3 on Monday and has now won five of its last ten games, continuing a recent surge that has pulled them back above .500 and into second place in the AL West. Tampa Bay (21–26) sits fourth in the AL East and has struggled to find consistency, especially at home where they are now just 11–18.
The Astros will turn to left-hander Brandon Walter, who is set to make his season debut. Walter, a depth option from the Astros' system, gets the nod with the club working through recent rotation injuries.
The Rays counter with right-hander Zack Littell (3–5, 4.31 ERA), who has been solid but not dominant across his first nine starts. He’s struck out 32 batters in 54.1 innings with a strong 1.12 WHIP.
Team trends
Houston holds the AL’s fifth-best team on-base percentage (.318) and has gone 6–4 over its last 10 games, posting a .252 batting average and a 3.78 team ERA in that span. Tampa Bay is 5–5 over its last 10, hitting .236 while their pitching staff has combined for a 4.34 ERA.
Players to watch
- Jake Meyers continues to provide timely power for Houston, while Isaac Paredes has been one of Houston's steadiest hitters, going 11-for-37 with three home runs over his last 10 games.
- Jonathan Aranda leads the Rays with a .309 batting average and has been a consistent bat in the middle of their lineup.
- Chandler Simpson, a recent spark plug for Tampa, is hitting .364 over his last 10 games.
Betting line
According to BetMGM, the Astros are slight road favorites at -114, with the Rays at -105. The over/under is set at 9.5 runs, signaling expectations for a potentially high-scoring matchup.
With the series opener in their pocket and Walter making his first appearance of the year, the Astros will look to keep momentum rolling in Tampa and inch closer to the top of the AL West standings.
Here's a look at Tuesday's night's lineup:
Game 2 in the sunshine state.
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Yainer Diaz gets the night off, with Victor Caratini catching Walter in his big league debut. Chas McCormick is in the lineup again playing left field, and Zach Dezenzo gets the nod in the DH spot.