Houston is up to eleven in a row
Astros extend winning streak again with opener win over Tigers
Jun 24, 2021, 10:05 pm
Houston's offense cannot be held down in June, putting together another run-heavy night against Detroit on Thursday. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
Houston's offense cannot be held down in June, putting together another run-heavy night against Detroit on Thursday.
Entering with a ten-game win streak, including three-game domination of the Orioles, the Astros tried to continue their hot streak against the Tigers in the opener of a four-game series. They would have the same success against Detroit, putting up a lopsided offensive win to extend their winning streak another game and stay on top of the division.
Final Score: Astros 12, Tigers 3
Astros' Record: 47-28, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Luis Garcia (6-4)
Losing Pitcher: Jose Urena (2-8)
The runs keep coming for Houston
Bloop, there it is!#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/NwdKDAqESW
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 25, 2021
Houston had no trouble continuing to score runs at a torrid pace, getting two runs each in the second, third, and fourth. Martin Maldonado kicked things off with a two-RBI single in the top of the second; then, in the third, the Astros had runners on first and third for Yordan Alvarez, who notched an RBI groundout. They loaded the bases later that frame, resulting in a hit by pitch to Abraham Toro to make it 4-0.
After Detroit managed a run against Luis Garcia in the bottom of the third to make it 4-1, Houston pushed the lead back to five runs with RBI hits by Yuli Gurriel and Carlos Correa. Correa drove in another two in the top of the fifth, getting a two-RBI single with two outs to make it 8-1.
Garcia holds Detroit to two runs over six
The two-out RBI double Garcia allowed in the bottom of the third was his only run allowed through the first five innings. A leadoff double in the bottom of the sixth would later come in for Detroit's second run on a two-out RBI double before Garcia would get the last out to end his night: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 96 P.
Astros extend winning streak to eleven
Blake Taylor was first out of Houston's bullpen in the bottom of the seventh and erased a leadoff single for a scoreless inning. Ryne Stanek was next, and he held the six-run lead with a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth. The Astros didn't let up in the top of the ninth, loading the bases and bringing Yordan Alvarez to the plate for his twelfth homer of the season, a grand slam to extend the lead to double digits at 12-2. Ralph Garza Jr. wrapped it up in the bottom of the ninth, despite allowing a run, finishing off Houston's eleventh-straight win and keeping them in front of the A's on top of the AL West.
Up Next: Game two of this four-game set will be another 6:10 PM Central start on Friday. Framber Valdez (4-0, 1.67 ERA) will try to stay perfect on the year for Houston, while Wily Peralta (0-1, 7.11 ERA) will try to pick up his first win in his second start for Detroit.
It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
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