ASTROS REPORT
Here's how the Astros put together an impressive 6-game winning streak
May 17, 2021, 5:22 pm
ASTROS REPORT
After sweeping the Rangers in a four game series, The Astros have secured their longest winning streak of the season.
Houston has won 6 consecutive games and have earned wins in 9 of their last 11 contests.
Their recent success has come on the heels of stellar hitting performances by the top 5 hitters in their lineup and a recent resurgence in power from one outfielder as well.
The Astros ended last week winning 2 of 3 against the Toronto Blue Jays and looked to face off against their division rivals the Los Angeles Angels for a three-game series.
Monday's game with the Halos was the worst game of the week, as the Astros took their lone loss of the series.
Houston did not have an answer for Jared Walsh as he connected on a solo home run and matched a career high with four hits to lead the Angels to a 5-4 victory over the Astros.
Tuesday night's game proved to be a very anticipated matchup as it showcased Lance McCullers vs. Shohei Ohtani.
Both pitchers gave strong performances on the mound and combined for 19 strikeouts.
Neither Ohtani nor McCullers qualified for the win, as both pitchers gave up solo shots and left the game at 1-1.
Once Ohtani left the game, the Astros were able to take advantage of the Angels bullpen to win the contest.
Outfielder Michael Brantley hit an RBI single to score Jose Altuve and send Aledmys Díaz to third. Thus giving the Astros their first lead of the game 2-1.
Yordan Alvarez grounded into a fielder's choice which put Brantley at third and Diaz was thrown out at home.
This set up one of the Astros' hottest hitters Yuli Gurriel. He took Angels' pitcher Alex Claudio deep to secure the Astros a 5-1 victory.
The rubber match of the series proved to be the best game for the Astros' bats as they blasted a season-high five home runs.
Altuve and Gurriel both homered in the first inning to give the Astros a quick 3-0 lead.
Houston starter José Urquidy allowed two hits and struck out four in 3 2/3 innings before leaving with posterior shoulder discomfort.
Brandon Bielak picked up where Urquidy left off and threw a season-high 3 1/3 innings in relief and gave up just one run.
Kyle Tucker added a little bit of insurance as he hit a two-run shot in the 6th inning to give the Astros a 5-0 lead.
Yordon Alvarez and rookie Chas McCormick both hit homers in the bottom of the 8th to give the Astros a 9-1 victory.
"Guys are getting good pitches to hit and keeping pitchers in the stretch," Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "Hitting's contagious and just keep them coming."
After winning two consecutive series in a row, the Astros looked to continue this momentum against their in-state rivals, the Texas Rangers.
Thursday's game was a nail-biter as it took extra innings for Houston to come away victorious.
Texas took an early 2-0 lead before Jose Altuve hit a three-run double to put the Astros on top 3-2.
Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo tied the game at 3 with an RBI groundout in the 3rd inning. The game remained tied going into extra innings.
In the bottom of the 10th the Astros loaded the bases but were unable to score a run.
A similar situation happened in the bottom of the 11th as Chas McCormick came to the plate with all three ducks on the pond.
He was facing Brett Martin, when a 1-2 pitch got away from the catcher Jose Trevino. The passed ball led to Myles Straw scoring from third base to win the game.
"I was ready, especially with two strikes there," Straw said. "I had a feeling they would bounce a breaking ball, so I stayed ready and sure enough, I saw it kind of get away a little bit. I was going to be overaggressive there with two strikes. Even if it was a little bit closer than that, I was probably going to go."
The second game of the series took place Friday night and was the best game for two Astros players in quite some time.
Catcher Martin Maldonado hit a homer and drove in three runs to help the Astros win 10-4, their best offensive output of the week.
Pitcher Zack Greinke had one of his best games of the season as he threw seven innings, gave up three runs and received his 3rd win of the season.
Game number three on Saturday was much closer, as Texas put up their best fight of the series.
The Astros got off to a quick start against Texas pitcher Dane Dunning. They scored four runs capped off by a Carlos Correa two-run homer to give Houston a 4-1 lead.
Kyle Tucker continued his torrid home run pace as he hit a two-run shot to give the Astros a 6-1 lead.
Tucker has now tied his career high for homers in a season at 9 and leads the team in this category as well.
The Rangers almost made a comeback behind an 8th inning three-run homer by Joey Gallo and Andy Ibanez driving in an additional run to cut the deficit to one at 6-5.
This would be as far as Texas would get, as Ryan Pressly earned his 7th save of the year in the top of the 9th inning to secure an Astros victory.
Houston looked for their 2nd four-game sweep of the season (their first being in Oakland to start the year).
Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa drove in the first two runs of the game to give the Astros a 2-0 lead.
Lance McCullers took the mound and threw six scoreless innings.
This is his 5th consecutive game in which McCullers has thrown more than five innings in a start.
Andre Scrubb came into the game after McCullers and gave up a two-run homer to Rangers outfielder David Dahl to tie the game 2-2.
Shortly after, the Astros took the lead in the bottom of the 8th behind a sacrifice fly from Gurriel and singles from both Chas McCormick and Myles Straw to give the Astros a 6-2 lead.
Enoli Paredes made his return from the injured list to close out the game.
The Astros have now won six games in a row and four Astros players are hitting over .300 six weeks into the season. (Altuve, Alvarez, Bregman and Gurriel).
Kyle Tucker has increased his batting average from .192 on Monday to .225 by Sunday.
UP NEXT: The Astros look to continue their winning ways as they start a six-game road trip Tuesday, May 18th against the Oakland A's for three games then three games in Arlington against the Texas Rangers.
Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.
The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.
The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.
On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.
Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.
It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.
The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.
How the mighty have fallen.
Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.
Screenshot via: MLB.com
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