Houston goes quiet at the plate again

Astros shutout by Yankees in series opener in Houston

Astros' Jose Altuve
Houston's normally potent offense was held in check for the second straight game on Friday. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Houston's normally potent offense was held in check for the second straight game on Friday.

After a surprisingly quiet offensive day that resulted in a loss to Oakland the day prior to end their winning streak, the Astros welcomed in the Yankees to Minute Maid Park to try and have success in their last series before the All-Star break. Instead, they would have similar offensive struggles, with the Yankees getting a shutout win to start the three-game set.

Final Score: Yankees 4, Astros 0

Astros' Record: 54-35, first in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Lucas Luetge (3-1)

Losing Pitcher: Jake Odorizzi (3-4)

Yankees tag Odorizzi with two runs

After three scoreless innings to start the series, New York would put the first runs on the scoreboard against Jake Odorizzi in the top of the fourth. The Yankees notched three hits that inning: a one-out single, two-out single, then a two-out two-RBI double to give them the 2-0 lead. That did it for the scoring as far as the starting pitchers were concerned with New York's Nestor Cortes going four and two-thirds innings while holding Houston at bay, and Odorizzi finishing six. Odorizzi's final line, which despite being a quality start still had him in line for the loss: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 0 HR, 103 P.

Astros shutout in the opener

With Odorizzi's night done, Bryan Abreu was first out of Houston's bullpen, looking to repeat the success he had in his first start off of the IL on July 6th when he gave his team two scoreless frames. It would not go as well, however, as he would give up a one-out walk followed by a double to set up a two-RBI double to double New York's lead at 4-0. Brandon Bielak would ultimately come in to finish the inning, while Houston tried to get on the board themselves against the Yankees' relievers.

No runs would come for Houston in the bottom of the seventh, then Bielak remained on the mound for a scoreless top of the eighth, then returned with the score still stuck at 4-0 in the top of the ninth. He kept it a four-run game, completing 2.2 impressive innings of scoreless relief, but Houston's offense would not get anything done in the bottom of the ninth, suffering the shutout loss to start the series.

Up Next: The middle game of this three-game series will get underway at 6:15 PM Central on Saturday. Former-Astro Gerrit Cole (8-4, 2.91 ERA) will make his first start in Houston since leaving the team after the 2019 season, going opposite Zack Greinke (8-2, 3.64 ERA).

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Kyle Tucker returns to Houston this weekend. Composite Getty Image.

Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.

The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.

The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.

On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.

Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.

It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.

The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.

How the mighty have fallen.

Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.

Screenshot via: MLB.com



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