Houston loses the middle game
Blue Jays ding Urquidy to even series with Astros
Jun 5, 2021, 5:04 pm
Jose Urquidy didn't fare well on Saturday. Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.
Jose Urquidy didn't fare well on Saturday.
With a hit parade in Friday's opener to start this three-game set on the right foot, the Astros looked to lock up the series victory in a similar fashion on Saturday afternoon. Instead, the Blue Jays reversed the roles and got after Jose Urquidy, while Houston's bats made little noise, resulting in an Astros loss to even the series.
Final Score: Blue Jays 6, Astros 2
Astros' Record: 32-26, second in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Ross Stripling (2-3)
Losing Pitcher: Jose Urquidy (4-3)
Toronto gets to Urquidy
🚨 VLADDY JR HAS TAKEN BACK THE LEAGUE LEAD IN HOMERS 🚨 pic.twitter.com/I8F7hLouKs
— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2021
After returning from the IL with a quality start in his last outing, giving him four in his previous five starts, Jose Urquidy did not get one on Saturday. He started with three scoreless innings, but things unraveled for him in the bottom of the fourth as back-to-back singles to start the frame turned into a one-out RBI single and then a three-run home run, giving Toronto a 4-1 lead at the time. Urquidy tried to rebound in the bottom of the fifth, but again, it would get tagged as a one-out single turned into a two-run homer by Vladmir Guerrero Jr., making it a 6-1 game. That would be the end of his afternoon, making his final line 4.1 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 2 HR, 74 P.
A crash landing for Houston's bats as Toronto evens the series
After putting up thirteen runs the night prior, things were not clicking as well for Houston. They had a chance to get on the board in the top of the third, with Myles Straw coming around from second on a hit by Jose Altuve, but would miss the call to slide, getting tagged out by a great throw to prevent the run. They threatened in the top of the fourth, loading the bases with two outs, but would get just one run out of it on an RBI walk by Straw.
They made little noise after that, until the top of the ninth when they would get runners on second and third with no outs. Straw would get a groundout to bring a run in, making it 6-2, but that's as close as they would come in the loss, setting up a rubber game in the finale to decide the series.
Up Next: The finale of this three-game set and the six-game season series between the Astros and Blue Jays will start at 12:07 PM Central on Sunday. Luis Garcia (4-3, 2.89 ERA) will try to replicate the success of his recent seven-inning start for Houston, while Steven Matz (6-2, 4.22 ERA) will be on the mound for Toronto.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.