DROPPING BREGGY BOMBS!
Alex Bregman homers twice, drives in 4 runs as Astros pound Athletics
May 13, 2024, 10:07 pm
Astros defeat the A's, 9-2. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.
Alex Bregman homered twice and had a season-high four RBIs to lead the Houston Astros to a 9-2 win over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night.
Bye, baseball 👋 pic.twitter.com/AS0KGbclZiÂ
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 14, 2024
Bregman homered off Oakland starter Ross Stripling (1-7) in the fourth inning, reminiscent of the homer he hit off Stripling in the 2018 All-Star Game. Bregman homered again in the seventh off Mitch Spence. Bregman entered Monday with just one homer in 144 at-bats this season but caught fire and had his sixth career multihomer game.
SECOND 💣 OF THE GAME FOR BREGGY pic.twitter.com/TlpBcccJRKÂ
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 14, 2024
Bregman later added a double in the eighth that scored Trey Cabbage and Jeremy Peña to put Houston up 7-2. He entered Monday hitting .167 in May and .201 on the season.
The Astros have now won four of their last five, including a series win in Detroit. Oakland has lost four of five.
Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti (1-4) allowed two runs on five hits in five innings, while striking out five. Arrighetti has now pitched at least five innings in three straight starts after failing to get out of the fifth in his first three career starts.
The Astros went up 2-0 in the third inning after Kyle Tucker doubled to score José Altuve, who had reached base with two outs after Stripling hit him in the back of the thigh with an 0-2 sinker.
Altuve added an RBI single in the seventh to put Houston up 5-2. Victor Caratini followed Bregman’s eighth inning double with a two-run double of his own to make it 9-2.
Houston scored in the second inning when Oakland first baseman Tyler Soderstrom made a throwing error to third base that allowed Peña to score.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: RHP Paul Blackburn (stress reaction in right foot) was placed on the injured list on Monday, and Oakland recalled LHP Easton Lucas for his second stint with the club this year.
Astros: RHP José Urquidy, who hasn’t pitched this season because of an elbow injury, made his first rehab start at Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, throwing 2 2/3 innings and 46 pitches. … OF Chas McCormick (right hamstring discomfort) also made a rehab start at DH, going 2-for-5 with a double.
UP NEXT
RHP JP Sears (3-2, 4.20 ERA) will start the second game of the series for the Athletics against Houston on Tuesday night. Sears is 1-1 with a 4.79 ERA in four career appearances, including three starts, against Houston. RHP Ronel Blanco (4-0, 3.64) faces Oakland for the first time of his career.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
The Astros returned from the All-Star break facing two pivotal turning points: a season-defining road series in Seattle and an increasingly hard-to-ignore situation at first base. And while their draft-day gamble on high school slugger Xavier Neyens speaks to long-term optimism, the questions swirling around Christian Walker feel far more immediate.
Houston’s decision to select Neyens 21st overall was a surprise to some, not because of his talent, but because of the organization's pressing need for bats in the upper minors. Still, those inside the draft room saw too much upside to pass on.
Considering the Astros reluctance to sign players long-term, he might be the Jeremy Peña or Isaac Paredes replacement down the road if Cam Smith stays in right field. The bat speed is elite, and the belief is he’ll grow into real power.
Neyens, a 6-foot-4 shortstop projected to possibly shift to third base, may someday be a middle-of-the-lineup anchor. But in the near term, it’s Houston’s lack of middle-of-the-lineup production at first base that casts a shadow over their playoff push.
Walker, acquired in hopes of stabilizing the position after José Abreu’s departure, has not delivered. He’s hitting .229 with a .660 OPS and has already been dropped to seventh in the lineup. With the Astros quietly monitoring alternatives, Jon Singleton, yes, that Jon Singleton, has reemerged as a name worth watching. The left-handed slugger has already hit four homers in 16 games for Sugar Land, posting an .850 OPS. That’s not nothing, even if his career numbers don’t scream long-term fix. In a more typical scenario, the Astros could implement a platoon at first base. But Walker is actually hitting worse against left-handed pitching (.180).
Unless Singleton forces their hand by continuing to look like Babe Ruth in Sugar Land, they’ll likely keep riding with Walker. But the leash is shorter than it was.
The Astros cut ties with Abreu just 1.5 seasons into a 3-year contract. A similar timeline isn’t out of the question for Walker if things don’t turn around. Especially with free agency and trade deadlines presenting chances for Dana Brown to build in contingency plans.
In the meantime, Houston’s most important series of the season so far gets underway this Friday in Seattle, where the Mariners enter just five games back after bludgeoning the Tigers heading into the break. The Astros’ lead, once seven games, feels less secure with Yordan Alvarez, Peña, and Jake Meyers all still sidelined.
The good news: the Astros lead MLB in strikeouts and WHIP, and are TOP 5 in ERA. Their OPS over the past month is second in the league. The concern: Hunter Brown has been shaky in back-to-back starts, and the back of the rotation is a patchwork of question marks.
The Astros apparently have similar concerns about Brown, opting to give him more rest coming out of the All-Star break. He won't be pitching against the Mariners. MLB.com's Brian McTaggart is reporting that the Astros will start Brandon Walter on Friday, Lance McCullers on Saturday, and Framber Valdez on Sunday.
Astros rotation against Seattle:Â
Friday: LHP Brandon Walter (1-2, 3.98)
Saturday: RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (2-4, 6.48)
Sunday: LHP Framber Valdez (10-4, 2.75)
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 17, 2025
Big picture
A sweep in either direction would shift the momentum dramatically. But even a closely contested series could reveal more about where this roster stands, and whether first base remains a tolerated flaw or becomes an active problem.
For now, the Astros are winning enough to keep the conversation quiet. But the noise is building. And if Walker can’t find another gear soon, first base might again become a defining storyline for a team trying to hold off a charge in the West.
There's so much more to get to! 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.
___________________________
*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!