Houston gets the win in Seattle
Astros use timely offense to take opener from Mariners
Aug 31, 2021, 12:47 am
Houston's offense plated some timely runs late in Monday's game to beat the Mariners. Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images.
Houston's offense plated some timely runs late in Monday's game to beat the Mariners.
After taking two of three in Arlington against the Rangers, the Astros started the second of this three-leg road trip with an opener against the Mariners in Seattle on Monday night. They would grab and hold on to a late one-run lead, taking the first of the three-game set.
Final Score: Astros 4, Mariners 3
Astros' Record: 78-53, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Phil Maton (4-0)
Losing Pitcher: Joe Smith (2-3)
Houston scores first, Mariners respond
Things looked up for the Astros in the top of the first inning, as they would seven batters to the plate, scoring the game's first two runs. The first came on an RBI single by Yordan Alvarez, followed later by a sac fly by Kyle Tucker, putting Houston on top 2-0 before the Mariners had a chance to get to the plate themselves.
The offensive momentum shifted Seattle's way after that, as they would cut the lead in half against Luis Garcia with a solo homer in the second. Garcia did well otherwise, dealing with some traffic but holding the one-run lead through his first five innings. He returned in the top of the sixth, but after a leadoff walk followed by a single, he would not get an out in the inning before being removed. Brooks Raley came in to try and strand the inherited runners, but after a double play would allow a go-ahead two-run homer, finalizing Garcia's line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HR, 78 P.
Astros go back in front in the eighth
Raley would finish the sixth, then Phil Maton would come in as Houston's next reliever in the bottom of the seventh. He kept it a one-run game, working around a two-out walk and error to send the 3-2 game to the top of the eighth. That inning, the Astros would score their first runs since the top of the first, getting a leadoff single by Yuli Gurriel, who scored on a Kyle Tucker RBI single, his second RBI of the game. Tucker would also come in to score, putting Houston back in front on a go-ahead single by Jake Meyers to make it a 4-3 lead.
Jake continues to rake!#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/5bGf6t1V1C
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 31, 2021
Astros take the opener
Ryne Stanek would take over on the mound in the bottom of the eighth for the Astros, tossing a 1-2-3 frame by striking out all three Mariners he faced. With the lead still one run in the bottom of the ninth, Houston turned to their closer Ryan Pressly. Although he struggled to find the zone early in the inning, issuing a leadoff walk, he would rebound to retire the next three batters to wrap up the win.
Up Next: The middle of this three-game set will be another 9:10 PM Central start on Tuesday. Lance McCullers Jr. (10-4, 3.32 ERA) will take the mound for the Astros, with the Mariners set to start Yusei Kikuchi (7-7, 4.33 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.