Houston's offense struggled again

Astros drop third straight as Oakland gets walk-off to secure the series

Astros' Jose Altuve
Houston's offense managed just one run on Saturday as Oakland handed them another loss. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Houston's offense managed just one run on Saturday as Oakland handed them another loss.

With a loss to start this series to give them back-to-back losses, the Astros sought to turn the tide and get back in the win column and even up the series in Oakland on Saturday. After remaining scoreless much of the game, the A's would score the game's final two runs to win it.

Final Score: A's 2, Astros 1

Astros' Record: 91-64, first in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Andrew Chafin (2-3)

Losing Pitcher: Ryan Pressly (5-3)

Pitcher's duel in Oakland

Neither offense could crack the opposing starter for most of Saturday's middle game of the series. The teams had just one hit each through the first five innings, a leadoff double by Jose Altuve off of Sean Manaea to start the game in the first, and a one-out single by Elvis Andrus off of Framber Valdez in the bottom of the third. Valdez would issue a few walks along the way and allowed another hit in the sixth but would keep things under control as the game remained scoreless.

Teams trade runs in the seventh

Kyle Tucker would provide Valdez with a run of support in the top of the seventh, getting a solo homer to score the first run of the day and putting Houston in front 1-0 against Manaea. Houston's starter came back out for the seventh, but after a one-out single and two-out hit-by-pitch, he would get lifted as Dusty Baker would bring in Kendall Graveman to try and protect the one-run lead. A bloop single to Graveman's first batter would tie the game and charge a run to Valdez to blemish his final line: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 95 P.

Astros get walked off to drop third straight

After Houston's offense went down 1-2-3 in the top of the eighth, Graveman returned to the mound in the bottom half. He had an up-and-down inning, loading the bases on a leadoff walk, one-out single, followed by a walk, but escaped with a strikeout and groundout to end the inning and keep the game tied 1-1.

In what feels like a common occurrence of late, Ryan Pressly was on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, looking to force extra innings. He wouldn't get it done this time, allowing a leadoff single, which would score on a walk-off double to hand the Astros their third straight loss and allow Oakland to lock up the series victory.

Up Next: The finale of this three-game set in Oakland, and Houston's last road game of the 2021 regular season, will start at 3:07 PM Central on Sunday. Paul Blackburn (1-3, 5.17 ERA) is set to start for Oakland, while Jake Odorizzi (6-7, 4.22 ERA) will make his return from the IL.

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Kyle Tucker returns to Houston this weekend. Composite Getty Image.

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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