Houston has won three in a row
Starter-depleted Astros secure series with win over Indians
Jul 3, 2021, 9:43 pm
Houston has won three in a row
Final Score: Astros 3, Indians 2
Astros' Record: 51-33, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Jake Odorizzi (3-3)
Losing Pitcher: Eli Morgan (1-3)
It didn't appear that the Astros were missing any of their power, with three runs in the first four innings to get a 3-0 lead. In the top of the first, they put two on base on two hits before an RBI single by Carlos Correa, then in the top of the fourth, Correa doubled the lead on a solo homer, then Abraham Toro followed one out later with a solo shot as well.
.@lmccullers43 is all of us. 😂#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/psmdbv54NB
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 4, 2021
Jake Odorizzi did great with the lead, getting off to a hot start by erasing a hit in the first, walk in the second, then posting a 1-2-3 third. He would allow an unearned run, thanks to a fielding error in the inning, in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI groundout, but rebounded from the one-run fourth with another 1-2-3 inning in the fifth, then faced the minimum in the sixth thanks to a double play.
He tried to keep going in the bottom of the seventh, but back-to-back leadoff doubles to cut the lead to one ended his night, with Ryne Stanek coming in to strand the inherited runner. That finalized Odorizzi's line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 91 P.
Houston had a chance to add some insurance runs in the top of the eighth, getting their first two runners on base then moving one to third with one out, but were unable to do anything with it. Cristian Javier was next out of Houston's bullpen in the bottom of the eighth, holding the one-run lead with a 1-2-3 inning, including two strikeouts. After a scoreless top half, Ryan Pressly came in to try and close things out in the bottom of the ninth. He did so, notching his fourteenth save of the season to give Houston the series win with a chance for a four-game sweep in the finale.
Up Next: The fourth and final game of this series, and the last of a twenty-game stretch in twenty days for the Astros, will be a 12:10 PM Central start on Sunday. The expected pitching matchup is Zack Greinke (8-2, 3.65 ERA) for Houston and Cal Quantrill (0-2, 4.11 ERA) for Cleveland.
With the NFL Draft right around the corner, Texans GM Nick Caserio met with the media to discuss the team's approach this year since they no longer have a first round pick. He also answered questions about the acquisition of Stefon Diggs, and addressed any concerns the team has about their new receiver having the reputation as a “diva.”
In the video above, Rich Eisen reacts to Caserio's presser and projects how the season will play out for the Texans with Diggs added to the team. Let's just say he's bullish on the Texans.