An unexpected shakeup to get the Houston Astros off the mat
STONE COLD 'STROS
17 October 2023
The Houston Astros quickly find themselves down 2-0 to the Rangers in the American League Championship Series, so there's no more margin for error.
Manager Dusty Baker needs offense in the worst way heading to Arlington, and so far Yordan Alvarez has been mostly the sole source of runs for the club. Over two games, the Astros have only scored 4 runs, so that has to change and change fast, unless we expect Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy to dominate in Games 3 and 4.
So how do they get the bats going?
First, playing Michael Brantley in every game going forward feels like a must (health permitting). He's one of the four players on the team with a batting average over .300 in this postseason.
Another possibility is using Mauricio Dubon over Chas McCormick. McCormick has struggled in some big at-bats this series, but he's also one of the four players hitting over .300 this postseason, along with Dubon, Yordan, and Uncle Mike who we mentioned above.
And of course, the debate we've had all season. Down 2-0 and needing offense, should the Astros go to Yainer Diaz over Martin Maldonado? While Yainer is no doubt the better hitter than Maldy, he is 0-10 with 5Ks this postseason.
Framber Valdez is another situation to monitor. If the Astros reach a Game 6, should the club at least consider starting JP France over Framber based on his struggles?
Be sure to watch the video above as we break it all down!
And for all your Astros coverage, watch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) on SportsMap Houston's YouTube channel.
Astros show signs of life in blowout win over Brewers
May 7, 2025, 3:25 pm
Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings and Jeremy Peña homered and drove in four runs as the Houston Astros defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 9-1 on Wednesday.
Houston earned just its second victory in seven games to snap Milwaukee’s three-game winning streak and leave both teams with .500 records. The Brewers were attempting to sweep a series from the Astros for the first time since 2012.
The Astros led 3-1 before Peña broke the game open by delivering a three-run homer to left off reliever Elvin Rodriguez with two outs in the sixth inning.
JP3-run bomb. #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/En0XXWdlt0
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 7, 2025
Valdez (2-4) struck out seven while allowing three hits, two walks and one run to earn his first win since the Astros’ March 27 season opener. He threw a season-high 101 pitches.
The Framchise is all business.#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/J8EGGDk5gl
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 7, 2025
Milwaukee’s only run off Valdez came on Eric Haase’s fifth-inning homer, a 425-foot drive to center.
The Astros took a 1-0 lead off Quinn Priester (1-1) in the second inning as Jake Meyers hit a two-out single and scored on Zach Dezenzo’s double.
RBI double for Zach gets us on the board early! #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/AilCY27A9d
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 7, 2025
The Brewers have lost all 13 games this season in which their opponent scored first.
Five-time All-Star closer Josh Hader worked the ninth while pitching in Milwaukee for the first time since the Brewers traded him in 2022.
Key moment
The Astros led 1-0 and had runners on third and second with one out in the fifth when Peña hit a bouncer to third.
Safe all day. #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/OVjcvev7cM
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 7, 2025
The throw home beat Dezenzo to the plate. Home plate umpire Chris Conroy initially ruled Dezenzo out, but the Astros challenged the call and replays showed the runner slid home ahead of Haase’s tag.
Key stat
Valdez has now pitched at least seven innings an MLB-leading 57 times since 2020.
Up next
The Astros host the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. Scheduled pitchers are right-hander Hunter Brown (5-1, 1.67) for the Astros and right-hander Nick Martinez (1-3, 4.19) for the Reds.
The Brewers visit the Tampa Bay Ray on Friday. Left-hander José Quintana (4-1, 2.83) will pitch for the Brewers.
