Houston sits second in the division
Diamondbacks ride huge nine-run inning to win over Astros
Aug 5, 2020, 11:24 pm
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Jose Altuve Astros
After their bats powered their way to a win in the opening game, Houston tried to secure the series win with a victory in Arizona on Wednesday Night. Here is a rundown of the middle game between the Astros and Diamondbacks:
Final Score: Diamondbacks 14, Astros 7.
Record: 6-5, second in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Robbie Ray (1-2, 9.45 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Lance McCullers Jr. (1-1, 9.22 ERA).
Astros jump out to early lead, Diamondbacks roar back with unreal inning
Houston wasted little time continuing where they left off the night before scoring runs against Arizona, getting after Robbie Ray in the second inning. Carlos Correa sparked things with a leadoff double before scoring on an RBI-single by Abraham Toro. Kyle Tucker scored two more runs in the next at-bat, crushing a two-run home run to give the Astros a 3-0 lead. Toro would drive in another run off of Ray in the top of the fourth, hitting a solo homer to extend the lead to 4-0.
Deep to Right Field!#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/c1GNlVjjHE
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 6, 2020
After three perfect innings with the roof closed with eight of nine outs coming on groundouts, Lance McCullers Jr. ran into disaster in the fourth with the roof at Chase Field now open. After allowing the first hit of the night to Arizona, Kole Calhoun would hit a ball to the right-field fence, which would ricochet all back into center field, allowing him to complete an inside-the-park home run and cut the lead in half at 4-2.
Arizona would keep piling on, loading the bases to set up a bases-clearing triple to take a 5-4 lead, then an RBI-double to make it 6-4, still with no outs in the inning. After two outs, McCullers would allow one more run on an RBI-double before Dusty Baker would make the call to the bullpen. Nivaldo Rodriguez was the reliever who entered, but he would be unable to stop the bleeding, allowing an eighth run charged to McCullers and one of his own to make it 9-4. McCullers Jr.'s final line: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR.
Both teams trade blows, but Arizona holds on for the win
Now down five runs, the Astros tried to start chipping away to get back into it. George Springer helped, hitting a two-run home run in the top of the fifth to cut it to a 9-6 lead for Arizona. Rodriguez remained on the mound for Houston for two outs in the bottom of the fifth, and Arizona would push the lead right back to five-runs with a two-run home run of their own, making it 11-6. Brandon Bailey would enter and get the final out of the fifth.
Bailey continued for a scoreless sixth but would see the Diamondbacks hit a dozen on the scoreboard with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the seventh, extending their lead to 12-6. Yuli Gurriel got that run back in the top of the eighth, hitting a solo home run to trim the deficit to 12-7.
In the bottom of the eighth, another Houston debut would take place with Carlos Sanabria making his first major-league appearance out of the bullpen. He would allow a two-run home run to make it 14-7 before the Astros would come up empty in the top of the ninth, giving Arizona the win and tying up the series 1-1.
Up Next: The series finale between Houston and Arizona will be Thursday at 6:07 PM Central. The pitching matchup will be Zac Gallen (0-0, 2.70 ERA) for the Diamondbacks going against Brandon Bielak (2-0, 1.69 ERA), making his first career start for the Astros.
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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.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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