Houston has won six in a row
Astros secure series win over A's with homers by Altuve and Tucker
Jul 7, 2021, 10:10 pm
Houston has won six in a row
After mounting an impressive comeback to take the series opener against the A's, the Astros took the field in the middle game of this three-game series to try and lock up the victory with a win on Wednesday night. Thanks to homers by Jose Altuve and Kyle Tucker, they would grab the win.
Final Score: Astros 4, A's 3
Astros' Record: 54-33, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Blake Taylor (2-2)
Losing Pitcher: Sean Manaea (6-6)
Like in the opener of the series, Oakland got on the board first in the top of the first inning, this time against Luis Garcia. Unlike their three-run first with multiple hits the night prior, this time, it was limited to a solo home run by Matt Olson to give the A's the early 1-0 lead, which held for a few innings.
Jose Altuve. What else can you say? đź’Ş#ForTheHÂ pic.twitter.com/6gb3u8Pu1m
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 8, 2021
In the bottom of the third, Houston put their first two batters on base to set up a three-run go-ahead home run by Jose Altuve with one out, making it a 3-1 Astros advantage. Garcia rebounded for four scoreless innings after the early homer, leaving in line for the win with another solid start: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HR, 88 P.
Houston moved into their bullpen starting in the top of the sixth, with Cristian Javier entering to relieve Garcia. It would not be a good inning for him, allowing a solo homer to his first batter before loading the bases with no outs on two singles and a walk. He gave up the tying run on a wild pitch, but thanks to some solid defense and a strikeout was able to limit the damage there, leaving it a 3-3 tie.
Blake Taylor was Houston's next reliever in the top of the seventh, and though he dealt with traffic on the bases as well, he was able to post a scoreless inning by erasing an error and walk. Kyle Tucker untied the game in the bottom of the seventh, launching a solo home run to put the Astros back on top 4-3.
King Tuck puts us ahead. đź‘‘#ForTheHÂ pic.twitter.com/fszqkxuqPa
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 8, 2021
Ryne Stanek continued his recent role as setup man in the top of the eighth, tossing a 1-2-3 frame to maintain the one-run lead. That presented Ryan Pressly with another save opportunity in the top of the ninth, and he would notch it by sitting down Oakland in order, giving Houston the series win, and extending their lead in the division.
Up Next: The finale of this three-game set will be an afternoon game starting at 1:10 PM Central. The pitching matchup is slated to be Frankie Montas (7-7, 4.63 ERA) for Oakland and Lance McCullers Jr. (6-1, 2.97 ERA) for Houston.
Astros GM Dana Brown joined the Astros flagship on Wednesday and discussed several trending topics impacting the club right now.
Are they open to changing the batting order?
It's no secret Alex Bregman is off to another slow start. But how much longer can you bat a guy at cleanup who has 5 RBIs and no home runs on the season? When asked about it, Brown sounded open to the idea of moving Bregman until he starts heating up.
“Yeah, I think at some point Joe will make an adjustment there,” said Brown. Overall though, he sounds more concerned with the team's inability to hit with runners in scoring position. He's not happy with the quality of their at-bats in critical situations. He also made it clear that Espada is in charge of the lineup, just like Dusty Baker was before him.
That didn't take long!
The Astros lineup has been released for game two against the Cubs. Notice Bregman is hitting second and Yordan Alvarez is batting third.
The Astros against Jameson Taillon: Altuve 4, Bregman 5, Alvarez 7, Tucker 9, Diaz DH, Peña 6, Singleton 3, Caratini 2, Meyers 8
Arrighetti RHP
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) April 24, 2024
Injury updates
Cristian Javier heading to the IL was a “cautionary” move with the team having so many days off. Brown said Javier missing only two starts felt like the smart move. Pitching him too soon in a cold environment like Chicago felt too risky. And Framber Valdez could return to the rotation after the series in Mexico City.
Jose Abreu can't be the best option at first base
Brown addressed the Abreu situation just like Espada did on Tuesday. They both talked about “mixing and matching” and how they've already done some of that this year. But Abreu was in the lineup again on Tuesday, and once again did not record a hit. You have to wonder if Espada and Brown are being pressured to start Abreu. But then again, Brown made it clear that the guys getting opportunities when Abreu sits, aren't coming through either. He's not wrong. Singleton is getting the start on Wednesday, and Dubon (who has the third-most RBIs on the team) is sitting once again.
Is there any accountability for players that don't perform?
Brown responded by saying, “I do think these guys are taking this seriously.” He also mentioned there are some players in the minors playing well, and at some point they'll have to make a move. “There's some urgency in that respect,” said Brown. This comment applied to both position players and pitchers. Which makes me think JP France better get things going. Dana said in passing several times that you're not giving your team a legit chance to win by allowing five runs in the first inning. Even if you do settle down over the next few innings.
Playing with a sense of urgency
Brown was asked if the team's approach would be the same if they were 5.5 games back with only 30 games left to play. This response was very interesting.
He said, “Dubon would sneak in there a little more” and they would play the guys that are more consistently producing. That statement made me feel much better. Brown and Espada see the same things we see. Dana pointed out that you try to give your best hitters a chance to get going early in the year. If that doesn't work, you look for other options. Clearly, the Astros aren't to the point in the season when winning each game is the top priority. The MLB season is a marathon.
“You can't start sprinting too early,” said Brown. If the Astros were in a better division, you wonder if they would feel differently. They keep saying they're only 5.5 games back in the division, which is true. But he never mentioned that the team is ten games under .500.