Houston wins fourth in a row
Meyers displays his power as Astros secure series over Angels
Aug 14, 2021, 11:46 pm
Houston wins fourth in a row
Riding a three-game winning streak into Saturday's middle game with the Angels, the Astros sought to continue their momentum to lock up another series win. Jake Meyer's would provide a breakout game at the plate, helping them get there.
Final Score: Astros 8, Angels 2
Astros' Record: 70-46, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Luis Garcia (9-6)
Losing Pitcher: Jaime Barria (2-1)
Shohei Ohtani, who had the only RBI for the Angels in Friday's opener, wasted no time getting one in this game. After Houston's scoreless top of the first inning, Ohtani gave LA a 1-0 advantage in the bottom half by blasting a leadoff shot against Luis Garcia, his 39th of the season, extending his lead over the league. Garcia would give up another run two batters later, giving up three straight hits to start the game in a 2-0 hole.
He rebounded well, despite dealing with traffic throughout the night. Thanks to his offense backing him up, he would leave in position for the win by making it through five frames while allowing just those two runs in the first inning. His final line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 87 P.
Jake Meyers' second career HR is a grand slam! pic.twitter.com/Cjc8OcZroT
— MLB (@MLB) August 15, 2021
The reason he left in that position was due to a big third inning by Houston's offense. It started with Jake Meyer's first career homer, a one-out solo homer. The following two batters reached and set up a sac fly by Carlos Correa and a go-ahead RBI-double by Yordan Alvarez, making it a three-run inning to put the Astros in front 3-2.
They kept putting pressure on LA's arms, and in the top of the fifth, after Michael Brantley reached base by being hit by a pitch, Alvarez would get his second RBI of the night on another double to extend the lead to 4-2. Houston blew it open in the next inning, putting the first three batters on base with two walks and a single, bringing Meyers back to the plate, who launched his second homer, this one a grand slam to double his team's lead to 8-2.
After Garcia, Brooks Raley was first out of Houston's bullpen in the bottom of the sixth, making his first appearance since August 4th. He looked sharp, sitting down the three batters he faced for a 1-2-3 inning. Blake Taylor had the bottom of the seventh, working around a leadoff single to maintain the six-run lead.
Phil Maton was the fourth pitcher of the night, and he erased a walk and a single to keep the score where it was going to the ninth. Yimi Garcia took over in the bottom of the ninth and wrapped up the win for Houston, their fourth in a row, including the first two of this three-game set to secure the series.
Up Next: The finale of this three-game set will get underway at 3:07 PM Central on Sunday. Lance McCullers Jr. (9-3, 3.22 ERA) will be on the mound for the Astros, going opposite Reid Detmers (0-2, 10.61 ERA), making his third career start for the Angels.
Detroit Tigers (86-76) at Houston Astros (88-73)
Pitching Matchup:
The Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros face off in Game 2 of their AL Wild Card Series, with Detroit leading 1-0 in the best-of-three set. The Tigers can advance to the ALDS with another win, while the Astros will be fighting to extend their postseason run.
Astros Outlook:
Houston, the reigning AL West champions, look to bounce back after dropping the series opener. The Astros have been strong at Minute Maid Park this season, posting a 46-35 home record. They’ve also excelled at keeping opponents in check, with a 38-16 record in games where they haven’t allowed a home run. Yordan Alvarez remains a key figure in the Astros’ lineup, leading the team with 35 homers, while Kyle Tucker has been hot, hitting .400 with three homers over the last 10 games.
You can see the Astros lineup for Game 2 below.
The Astros against pitching chaos: Altuve 4, Tucker 9, Alvarez DH, Bregman 5, Diaz 2, Caratini 3, Peña 6, Heyward 7, McCormick 8
Brown RHP
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) October 2, 2024
Tigers Outlook:
Detroit has been road warriors, going 43-38 away from home, and their pitching staff has been stellar, ranking third in the AL with a 3.62 ERA. Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter have powered the Tigers’ offense, combining for 51 home runs on the season. If the Tigers’ bullpen holds strong again, they could advance to the next round.
Recent Form:
The Astros lead the season series 4-3, but the Tigers carry the momentum as they look to close out the series and move forward in the playoffs.
If you would like to see some reactions to Game 1, check out the videos below.
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