Houston's magic number is down to one
Astros get walk-off win over Rays to end four-game skid and put clinch in sight
Sep 28, 2021, 10:15 pm
The Astros and Rays battled a close one on Tuesday, but Houston came out ahead. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
The Astros and Rays battled a close one on Tuesday, but Houston came out ahead.
With losses in their last four games, the Astros returned home and welcomed in the AL-best Rays on Tuesday to try and turn the page on the poor end to their recent road trip. Despite going down late in the game, they would rally in the ninth to get the win in a potential ALCS preview.
Final Score: Astros 4, Rays 3
Astros' Record: 92-65, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Phil Maton (5-0)
Losing Pitcher: Josh Fleming (10-7)
Rays pounce on Urquidy in the first
Jose Urquidy did not have the first inning he wanted, allowing a single to start the game and a two-run homer to give Tampa Bay an immediate 2-0 advantage. He did rebound decently from that, though, retiring three of the following four batters to end that inning, and went on to get through the fifth without allowing any more damage. That's where his night would end, as after getting behind several batters along the way had already reached 91 pitches. His final line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HR, 91 P.
Bregman homers to get Houston on the board
Breggy Bomb! 💣#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/RktccDzWA0
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 29, 2021
First out of Houston's bullpen was Yimi Garcia, who posted an impressive inning by sitting down Tampa Bay 1-2-3 with two strikeouts. The Rays also went to their bullpen in the bottom of the sixth, which was the change the Astros needed to get their first hit of the night, a solo homer by Alex Bregman to make it 2-1.
Blake Taylor took over in the top of the seventh, keeping it a one-run game by erasing a walk with a double play to end the frame. With the score still a one-run lead for Tampa Bay in the top of the eighth, Brooks Raley came in and faced three batters, striking out two and allowing a walk before Phil Maton would wrap up the frame.
Astros walk it off
Another Houston homer came in the bottom of the eighth, as Jose Altuve would tie the game with a one-out solo shot to make it 2-2. Tampa Bay responded in the top of the ninth, though, as Maton remained in the game and was met by a one-out solo homer by Randy Arozarena to put the Rays back ahead 3-2.
The Astros began a rally in the bottom of the ninth, with Yordan Alvarez and Carlos Correa legging out infield balls to reach base. Kyle Tucker moved the runners to second and third on a groundout, then the Rays intentionally walked Aledmys Diaz and changed their reliever try and get the eight and nine spots of Houston's order out to end the game.
Chas McCormick spoiled those plans, working a walk after a ten-pitch at-bat to tie the game up 3-3. Jason Castro came in to pinch-hit for Martin Maldonado next, and he delivered the walk-off with a walk to end the game, ending Houston's four-game skid, and reduce their magic number to one.
Up Next: The middle game of this series will be another 7:10 PM Central start from Minute Maid Park on Wednesday. The expected pitching matchup is Drew Rasmussen (3-0, 2.67 ERA) for Tampa Bay and Luis Garcia (11-7, 3.23 ERA) for Houston.
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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.