Houston loses the series
Padres get walk-off homer to take series from Astros
Sep 5, 2021, 6:19 pm
The Astros tied the game late but the Padres still came out in frond on Sunday. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
The Astros tied the game late but the Padres still came out in frond on Sunday.
After being handed a lopsided loss in the middle game on Saturday to even up the series, the Astros tried to shrug it off and get the series victory with a win on Sunday. After battling back to tie the game late, the Padres would get the final blow to take the series.
Final Score: Padres 4, Astros 3
Astros' Record: 79-57, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Mark Melancon (4-2)
Losing Pitcher: Ryne Stanek (1-4)
Garcia rebounds from a rough first inning
With most of the offense the night prior belonging to San Diego, the Astros set off on a better foot on Sunday, getting a leadoff ground-rule double by Jose Altuve to get in position for an RBI single by Alex Bregman to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. The Padres matched that and more in the bottom half against Luis Garcia.
Garcia allowed a leadoff single in the bottom of the first, followed by a one-out single and walk to load the bases. A sac fly brought in one run to tie things up, then a two-out two-RBI double put San Diego in front 3-1. He rebounded nicely from that rough first inning, preventing any more damage into the sixth inning, where he would get two outs and allow a single before Dusty Baker moved on to the bullpen. Garcia's final line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 80 P.
Astros drop the series as Padres get walk-off homer
Down two runs in the top of the seventh, the Astros launched back-to-back jacks by Yuli Gurriel and Carlos Correa, both solo homers, to tie the game 3-3. Blake Taylor was Houston's next reliever, and with a double play, he was able to face the minimum in the bottom of the seventh.
BACK-TO-BACK!!!#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/HZfNglFgyE
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 5, 2021
Kendall Graveman maintained the tie in the bottom of the eighth, erasing a leadoff single for a scoreless inning. In the top of the ninth, Houston had a chance to go back in front, working back-to-back walks to start the inning, but would come away empty after a double play and strikeout. Ryne Stanek entered to try and force extra innings in the bottom of the ninth but instead would watch Jake Cronenworth blast the walk-off solo homer to win it for the Padres, handing the Astros the series loss.
Up Next: With this road trip complete, the Astros return to pick up a series with the Mariners at 6:10 PM Central on Monday. Yusei Kikuchi (7-7, 4.12 ERA) is the slated starter for Seattle, while Lance McCullers Jr. (10-4, 3.20 ERA) will pitch for Houston.
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The Houston Astros have looked like one of baseball’s most dangerous teams in recent weeks, riding a hot streak fueled by dominant starting pitching and a red-hot offense that’s erupted for double-digit runs in four of their last eight games. But behind the current success, there are fair questions about whether this pace is truly sustainable as the grind of the season continues.
Yes, the Astros are winning — and winning big — but context matters. Many of their recent victories have come against struggling clubs like the White Sox and Athletics. Even matchups against the Twins and Guardians, while respectable, don’t exactly represent championship-caliber tests. That soft stretch of the schedule has certainly helped Houston pad its win column, but it may not be the best predictor of long-term performance. Houston will be tested in the upcoming series against the Phillies and Cubs.
On the pitching side, the numbers have been impressive, but how repeatable is it? With Lance McCullers Jr. sidelined for at least a couple of weeks, the Astros are relying on a patchwork rotation that includes unproven arms like Colton Gordon, Ryan Gusto, and Brandon Walter. While each has shown flashes, asking them to shoulder the load deep into the summer may be a tall order.
Offensively, Houston is firing on all cylinders. But scoring 10 or more runs every other game simply isn’t sustainable over a 162-game season. Regression is inevitable; the question is how the team responds when the bats cool down or the bullpen is asked to carry more weight.
Amid all this, rookie third baseman Cam Smith continues to shine. Just a few months into his major league career, Smith is producing at a level that suggests he’s not just a key piece of the future — he’s already one of the team’s most valuable players. His batting average sits just a point behind Jose Altuve’s, and his OPS is even higher. If the Astros were forced to choose two players to build around long-term, factoring in youth and contract status, the logical duo might be Smith and breakout pitcher Hunter Brown.
So what about the big picture? Is this team a true World Series contender?
Oddsmakers currently have Houston with the seventh-best odds to win it all, and only the Yankees and Tigers rank higher among American League teams. The core is still there, the experience is undeniable, and if the pitching continues to hold — especially with the anticipated return of Spencer Arrighetti and a healthy McCullers — the Astros have every reason to believe they’ll be in the mix deep into October.
But that’s a big “if.” The ceiling is still high, and with Cam Smith emerging as a star in real time, this team might just have another gear. Whether they can reach it when the competition stiffens, that remains to be seen.
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