Houston comes up short of the sweep
Astros drop finale to Angels as magic number stays put
Sep 23, 2021, 11:58 pm
Lance McCullers Jr. allowed some costly walks to the Angels on Thursday. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Lance McCullers Jr. allowed some costly walks to the Angels on Thursday.
After blowing past the Angels in extra innings on Wednesday, the Astros tried to wrap up a series sweep with a win in the finale in Anaheim on Thursday. A much quieter night at the plate by their bats prevented that, though, as Los Angeles would salvage a game to send Houston out of town wearing a loss.
Final Score: Angels 3, Astros 2
Astros' Record: 91-62, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Austin Warren (2-0)
Losing Pitcher: Lance McCullers Jr. (12-5)
Angels take advantage of walks by McCullers Jr.
Both starting pitchers had dominant starts to their nights, with both lineups getting retired in order as no one would reach base in the first three innings of the finale. Houston got the first hit and runner in the top of the fourth and even loaded the bases but came away empty-handed as the game remained scoreless. Los Angeles also got in the hit column in the bottom of the inning against Lance McCullers Jr., getting a leadoff single that would come around to score later on a sac fly to make it a 1-0 Angels lead.
McCullers Jr. rebounded by erasing a leadoff walk in the fifth, and in the top of the sixth, his offense tied things up with an RBI single by Carlos Correa. Houston's starter put himself back on the hook in the bottom of the inning, though, as two walks would set up a two-RBI double by former Astro Jack Mayfield, putting LA back in front 3-1. McCullers Jr. would finish the inning, but that would be it for him: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 101 P.
Astros drop the finale
Fresh off the paternity list, Ryne Stanek took over out of Houston's bullpen in the bottom of the seventh. He faced four batters, getting two outs while putting two on via a walk and a single, prompting a change to Blake Taylor, who would finish the inning to keep it a two-run game. Houston worked a walk in the top of the eighth but would strand it as they remained behind 3-1.
Seth Martinez was the next reliever for the Astros, coming in to try and keep the score put in the bottom of the eighth, and he did so by erasing a one-out double. Houston would get within a run in the top of the ninth, courtesy of a pinch-hit solo homer by Jason Castro with two outs, but would get stopped there as the Angels would take the finale. The loss keeps Houston's magic number stuck in place as they turn the page to the next leg of their trip.
Up Next: The Astros will continue this road trip on Friday, picking up in Oakland with the opener of a pivotal three-game series at 8:40 PM Central. The pitching matchup in the first game will be Frankie Montas (12-9, 3.57 ERA) for the A's going opposite of Zack Greinke (11-6, 4.11 ERA) for Houston.
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Dansby Swanson hit a three-run homer during Chicago's four-run first inning and the short-handed Cubs beat the Houston Astros 4-3 on Wednesday night.
Playing without Cody Bellinger, Chicago used Swanson's big swing and a solid start by Jameson Taillon to earn its second straight win. It will try to sweep the three-game set against the struggling Astros on Thursday.
Taillon (2-0) allowed two runs, one earned, and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings on a chilly evening at Wrigley Field. The right-hander struck out four and walked two in his second start since he began the season on the injured list with a back strain.
“Before that back injury, I just really liked where we were at,” Taillon said, “and I feel like we were able to use that downtime as like, let’s stay on the straight and narrow, stay on the right path.”
Houston lost for the seventh time in eight games. It has scored a total of 21 runs during the slide.
Manager Joe Espada tried to spark his sputtering lineup by moving Alex Bregman into the second spot, between Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez. But the Astros went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base.
Altuve opened the ninth with a drive to left against Héctor Neris for his sixth homer. But Neris retired Bregman, Alvarez and Kyle Tucker for his second save in three opportunities.
Bellinger was placed on the 10-day injured list with two fractured ribs on his right side. The center fielder got hurt during the series opener Tuesday night.
There was no word just yet on a timetable for his return.
“The doctors will come up with a plan,” manager Craig Counsell said, “and, like everything, he’s got to get symptom-free first and we’ll go from there.”
Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ singled for Chicago in the first against Spencer Arrighetti. Michael Busch delivered a sacrifice fly and Christopher Morel walked before Swanson hit a two-out drive to left for his third homer.
The Cubs also got off to a fast start Tuesday night, jumping on the Astros for five runs in the first in a 7-2 victory.
“We’ve just been pretty committed to our plans coming in and put some good swings on some balls and that’s just a testament to the work that the guys are doing in the cage,” Swanson said.
Arrighetti (0-3) was pulled with two outs in the fourth. The right-hander allowed seven hits, struck out seven and walked two in his third major league start.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: LHP Framber Valdez (elbow soreness) threw about 40 pitches during a bullpen session. “He came off the mound feeling good,” Espada said. Valdez remains in line to start this weekend during a two-game series against Colorado in Mexico City. … RHP Cristian Javier (neck discomfort) played catch back in Houston. “The doctor saw him, and it looks like he's improving,” Espada said.
Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks is taking pills to help with the inflammation from his low back strain. He also is getting treatment and playing catch to help keep his arm moving. He isn't too concerned about the injury. “It just made sense to give it the time to settle down, get out of there and give myself a chance to get back to 100 percent,” he said. ... OF Seiya Suzuki (right oblique strain) has resumed baseball activities.
UP NEXT
Houston right-hander Justin Verlander (1-0, 3.00 ERA) makes his second start since he missed the beginning of the season because of shoulder inflammation. Right-hander Javier Assad (2-0, 2.11 ERA) takes the mound for Chicago.