Uncharacteristic errors doom Houston's chances

Costly errors hand Rangers the win over Astros

Astros Jose Altuve
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Astros Jose Altuve

With several postponed games last week, including Sunday's game against the A's before the scheduled off-day on Monday, the Astros were back in action Tuesday night to begin the 2020 regular season's final stretch. Their opponent was the Texas Rangers, playing them for the first time this season. Here is a recap of the game:

Final Score (10 innings): Rangers 6, Astros 5.

Record: 19-15, second in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Jonathan Hernandez (5-0, 1.77 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Blake Taylor (1-1, 1.15 ERA).

Valdez battles through seven innings

After some successful outings with a strong command of the zone so far in 2020, Framber Valdez would be somewhat volatile on Tuesday, starting in the top of the first. He started the game by putting the first batter on base with a hit-by-pitch before watching him come around to score after an errant throw to first base on a groundball in the next at-bat.

That made it 1-0, but the Rangers would double that on an RBI-single later in the top of the first, starting Valdez's night off on the wrong foot. He would do well to mostly settle back in following that tough frame, tossing scoreless second and third innings before a leadoff single in the fourth would score a third run on an RBI-triple later in the inning.

Again, he would rebound from the brief setback, going on to complete seven innings and racking up another impressive strikeout performance. His final line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, 0 HR, 94 P.

Brantley comes through to put the Astros in front

The Astros had just two hits through the first five innings, both singles by Jose Altuve, who would be left stranded both times. Finally, they would score him in the sixth, as he would get his third hit of the night, move to third on a single by Kyle Tucker, then score on an RBI-single by Carlos Correa to trim Texas' lead to 3-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, Houston would get their first two batters on base on infield singles, then Michael Brantley came through with a huge go-ahead three-run home run to give the Astros their first lead of the night, 4-3.

Rangers even it up in the ninth to force extra innings

Enoli Paredes was first out of Houston's bullpen, taking over for Valdez to start the top of the eighth. He would erase a leadoff single and no-out walk, getting a flyout and double play to keep the one-run lead intact heading to the ninth.

Ryan Pressly would not do as well, allowing a leadoff solo home run to tie the game 4-4 to start the top of the ninth. He would get through the inning, erasing a one-out single with an unconventional double play to end the half-inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, Abraham Toro led off with a single to get the winning run on base. Martin Maldonado moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt, but the Rangers would retire George Springer and Jose Altuve to force extra innings.

Errors doom Houston in the tenth

Blake Taylor would come on for the top of the tenth, but after a groundout to move the free runner to third, he would commit a balk to bring in the go-ahead run and make it 5-4. Texas tacked on one more on a two-out groundball that dribbled in front of Martin Maldonado before overthrowing first base and depositing it into right field.

Houston would get another timely hit from Michael Brantley, who started the bottom of the tenth with an RBI-single to make it a one-run game in the bottom of the tenth. That's as close as they'd come, though, as Texas would hold on to the one-run lead to take the series opener.

Up Next: The middle game of this three-game series will be another 7:10 PM start on Wednesday. Cristian Javier (3-1, 3.77 ERA) will continue his rookie campaign for the Astros while Kolby Allard (0-3, 6.50 ERA) will start for the Rangers.

astros vs rangersastros recapmlbrangers recapframber valdezjose altuvekyle tuckerastros

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
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



___________________________

*ChatGPT assisted.

Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!

https://houston.sportsmap.com/advertise

astroshouston astros

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome