Houston holds on to a lead
After partnering for trade, Astros even series with Mariners with a win
Jul 28, 2021, 12:38 am
Houston built an early lead again on Tuesday and this time held it to even the series against the Mariners. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
Houston built an early lead again on Tuesday and this time held it to even the series against the Mariners.
Fresh off an afternoon trade between the two teams which sent Abraham Toro and Joe Smith from Houston in return for Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero from Seattle, and after the major comeback by the Mariners to take the opener on Monday night, the Astros got back to work on Tuesday night with Lance McCullers Jr. on the mound trying to even the series.
Final Score: Astros 8, Mariners 6
Astros' Record: 62-40, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Lance McCullers Jr. (8-2)
Losing Pitcher: Chris Flexen (9-5)
Astros build another large early lead
Yordan flexed on this one.#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/91K7PW1W1Q
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 28, 2021
Much like the night before, the Astros set the tone in the top of the first inning to grab an early lead with a big inning, getting two singles to set up a three-run homer by Yordan Alvarez to make it 3-0. Unlike Monday's game, however, Seattle wasted no time responding, getting a two-run blast of their own off of Lance McCullers Jr. in the bottom of the inning, making it a one-run game at 3-2.
The Astros continued to give Seattle's starter Chris Flexen trouble in the top of the fourth, putting together another multi-run inning with a two-RBI double by Myles Straw and RBI single by Martin Maldonado, who would later score on a wild pitch, making it 7-2. With the early transition to their bullpen in the top of the fifth, Seattle allowed another run to make it a six-run game after an RBI single by Aledmyz Diaz made it 8-2.
McCullers Jr. goes six but allows four
Meanwhile, McCullers Jr. was rebounding well from the early homer he allowed, allowing just two baserunners in the second through fifth innings, one on a single and one on a walk. He remained in the game in the bottom of the sixth, where after a quick first out would falter by loading the bases on a single and two walks to set up a two-RBI single to make it a four-run game. Even with his pitch count surpassing 100, Houston stuck with him, and he would finish the frame with his seventh and eighth strikeout of the night to end the frame. His final line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, 1 HR, 109 P.
Toro homers for his new team, but Astros hold on to even the series
First out of Houston's bullpen was Blake Taylor in the bottom of the seventh, who posted a 1-2-3 frame on 15 pitches to maintain the lead. Next was Ryne Stanek in the bottom of the eighth, and he did the same as Taylor, sitting down the Mariners in order, sending the game to the ninth. After being unavailable the night prior due to pitching the two days prior, Ryan Pressly entered to close things out in the bottom of the ninth, coming in with the score still 8-4.
After a leadoff single, the Mariners brought in Abraham Toro, acquired from Houston earlier in the day, to pinch-hit. He trimmed the lead to two runs with his first homer for his new team, a two-run blast to make it 8-6. Despite putting two more on base on a walk and single, Pressly would get the final out to close out the win for Houston to even the series.
Up Next: The two teams will wrap up this series with a 2:40 PM afternoon start on Wednesday for the rubber game. The Astros will hand the ball to Jake Odorizzi (3-5, 4.23 ERA), while the Mariners will start Yusei Kikuchi (6-5, 3.95 ERA).
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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.