Houston has lost back-to-back games
Astros drop back-and-forth game to Royals to open four-game series
Aug 16, 2021, 10:20 pm
Houston has lost back-to-back games
With their four-game winning streak snapped in the finale against the Angels on Sunday, the Astros moved on to their next series, a four-game set against the Royals starting Monday in Kansas City. Instead of creating a new winning streak, they'd drop the back-and-forth opener to make it a two-game losing streak.
Final Score: Royal 7, Astros 6
Astros' Record: 70-48, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Scott Barlow (5-3)
Losing Pitcher: Yimi Garcia (3-8)
Houston started the game by shifting the momentum in their favor, grabbing a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after a leadoff double by Jose Altuve set up a two-out RBI single by Yordan Alvarez. That started a back-and-forth battle, though, with the Royals responding with a two-run go-ahead bottom of the second, getting four hits including a one-out RBI double and two-out RBI single to go ahead 2-1 on Jake Odorizzi.
They tagged Odorizzi with another run in the third, taking advantage of back-to-back walks to start the inning with a one-out RBI single to extend their lead to 3-1. While Houston's starter settled back in, his offense helped get him off of the hook in the top of the fifth. Aledmyz Diaz started the frame with a solo homer, then with two outs, Michael Brantley delivered an RBI single to knot it up 3-3.
.@TeamCJCorrea with a rocket for the lead. pic.twitter.com/65vkKgo0jG
— MLB (@MLB) August 17, 2021
After a scoreless bottom of the fifth by Odorizzi, Carlos Correa put the Astros back in front with a 430-foot go-ahead solo homer to lead off the top of the sixth. Kansas City answered to keep the slugfest going, though, getting a one-out solo shot in the bottom of the inning to end Odorizzi's night with a no-decision. His final line: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 89 P.
The first reliever out of the Astros' bullpen was Phil Maton, who finished the sixth for Odorizzi by retiring the two batters he faced. Ryne Stanek took over in the bottom of the seventh, but after watching a leadoff walk move to third on two stolen bases, he allowed a go-ahead RBI single to put the Royals back in front 5-4. Once again, things got tied up as a pinch-hitting Taylor Jones in the top of the eighth reached on a one-out double, then scored on a two-out RBI single by Aledmys Diaz, who would get caught between first and second to end the inning.
Yimi Garcia was the next reliever for Houston, but after two outs, he gave up three straight hits, the third a two-RBI single by Salvador Perez to put the Royals back on top 7-5. Despite Jason Castro getting the Astros within a run with a solo home run with one out in the top of the ninth, that's as close as they'd come as Kansas City would close things out to take the opener.
Up Next: The second of this four-game set will be another 7:10 PM Central start on Tuesday. Framber Valdez (8-3, 3.09 ERA) will try to get the win for the Astros, while the Royals are expected to send Daniel Lynch (2-3, 5.97 ERA) to the mound.
While we wait to see whether the Texans get to avoid facing Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City Saturday, Houston and another "Show Me" state team popped into the news this week. There is irony in St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado exercising his no-trade clause to prevent him from being traded to the Astros. Obviously, Arenado sees the Astros as no longer the behemoth they were for several seasons. Well, neither is Arenado. The Astros were last an elite ballclub in 2022 (and have the World Series trophy to prove it). Arenado was last an elite player in 2022 when he finished third in National League Most Valuable Player Award voting. The Astros were still good the last two years though no longer special. Arenado was a little above mediocre in 2023 and plain mediocre in 2024. If he’s trying to squeeze additional money beyond the 74 million dollars left on the three years remaining on his contract in order to approve the trade, he’s in fantasyland. Arenado is highly overpaid at his level of performance the last two seasons. More reasonably, he’s probably hoping he can funnel himself to the Yankees, Mets, or Phillies, all of whom may be in the third baseman market, and all of whom are stronger looking organizations than the Astros project to be over the next three seasons. You probably can add the Red Sox to that list.
The purported terms of the deal the Astros had put the cart before the horse with the Cardinals had the Redbirds paying off some of Arenado’s deal to get rid of the rest of the money from their books, leaving the Astros on the hook for three years and 45 million dollars or so. Three years at 15 mil per for a guy in serious decline over the last two years and who turns 34 years old in April? No thanks. That would be bolting shut the door shut on Alex Bregman. Maybe that should read further bolting shut the door.
Consider the following, with which I made my Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast compadres recoil in horror this week:
In 2024 Nolan Arenado had 578 at bats and produced 39 extra base hits.
In 2023 Jose Abreu had 540 at bats and produced 42 extra base hits.
It’s not advanced calculus. The abysmal Abreu had fewer ABs than Arenado yet delivered more extra base hits. Check please! Granted, while Abreu was also generally feeble defensively at first base, Arenado is still a solid glove man at the hot corner, though not the guy who won Gold Gloves the first ten seasons of his career. But you get the point. The 2024 Astro most comparable offensively to Arenado for time played...Jon Singleton.
In the Kyle Tucker trade the Astros acquired Isaac Paredes who is best suited defensively to play third. The highest hope of return in the deal is Cam Smith, a third baseman by trade, though he may wind up at first base or in the outfield. There is also Brice Matthews to consider. Maybe Matthews winds up succeeding Jeremy Pena at shortstop. Or maybe he better projects as a third baseman.
Taking on three years of Arenado and blocking prospects would be silly. Moving him to first base would diminish his defensive value. At his 15 million dollar salary Arenado will make within a couple million of what Tucker projects to make in 2025 via salary arbitration. This with Arenado not half the player Tucker is presently. Although his offensive numbers are inflated from his eight seasons playing in the hitting haven that is Denver (career OPS at Coors Field is .982, everywhere else .795), Arenado is a very legitimate Hall of Fame candidate. He’s been a better player over his career than Bregman has been over his. But in neither 2023 nor 2024 was Arenado as good as Bregman. There’s little reason to think Arenado will be the better player in 2025. Obviously the pay grade would be significantly different but it would be an interesting (nicer word for it) look for the Astros to take on a declined player for his age 34, 35, and 36 seasons, while they got all squirrely over paying Kyle Tucker beyond his age 33 season (Tucker has six seasons to play before he turns 34). Arenado is one of numerous reasons why the Astros reasonably see it as stretching to the limit in offering Bregman six years through his age 36 season.
The Astros are trying to thread the needle of staying competitive (which doesn’t require excellence in the American League West) while ideally getting the payroll below the Competitive Balance Tax thresholds. It’s not as if Jim Crane is being a payroll cheapskate. The Astros presently project to be in the top eight in CBT payroll. The 2025 Astros will suffer because of the financial dead weights that are Abreu, Rafael Montero, and to large if not full extents Lance McCullers and Cristian Javier. At least neither the Mariners nor Rangers have done anything to their roster that moves the needle. They still could, but haven’t yet.
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
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