STONE COLD 'STROS
How Houston Astros ALDS chances versus Twins won’t hinge on familiar frustration
Oct 10, 2023, 10:19 am
How Houston Astros ALDS chances versus Twins won’t hinge on familiar frustration
One of the area's of frustration all season long for Astros fans has been Yainer Diaz's lack of playing time. While we expected manager Dusty Baker to start Martin Maldonado at catcher, we were hoping that Diaz would be used as a pinch hitter in critical situations.
In the 5th inning of Game 2 down 5-0, Dusty opted not to bat Diaz for Maldy after a lead off double. To be fair, this decision did not cost the Astros a win, and Diaz did bat later in the game. But this is just another example of Baker's hesitance to go away from Maldonado, especially early in the game.
Yainer is reportedly slated to start at DH in Game 3, but when that happens, Yordan has to play left field which will leave Michael Brantley out of the lineup against Sonny Gray.
Will the Astros be able to score enough runs against Gray with Javier on the mound?
Series deciding factors
Plus, whether Diaz or Maldy swing the bats well or not, the outcome of this series is going to depend on the success of the heart of the order from an offensive perspective. If Bregman, Tucker, and company don't get going, it's hard to imagine the team will advance past the Twins.
Be sure to watch the video above as we look ahead at Game 3 and much more!
And watch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) every Monday on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel!
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.