Astros bats stay hot as pitching silences Blue Jays again
BLANCO SHOVES, ASTROS WIN
23 April
BLANCO SHOVES, ASTROS WIN
Jeremy Peña and Christian Walker each had three hits and an RBI, and the Houston Astros cruised to a 5-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
The Blue Jays were held to two hits for the second straight game.
Houston took a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Peña scored José Altuve on an infield single and Walker followed with a hit to score Yordan Alvarez. Peña scored on a sacrifice fly by Brendan Rodgers.
Walker cashes in! pic.twitter.com/ZvlkpdQqQo
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 23, 2025
Toronto ace Chris Bassitt (2-1) settled in after the first, allowing four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. Bassitt entered with the second-best ERA in the majors at 0.77, which was the second lowest for a Toronto pitcher’s first four starts of a season.
Nathan Lukes homered in the third for Toronto, which has lost four straight games.
Astros starter Ronel Blanco (2-2) allowed two hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings. Last year, Blanco threw a no-hitter against Toronto in his first start of the season on April 1.
A smooth start.#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/vAji7tnxlT
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 23, 2025
Isaac Paredes homered for Houston in the seventh to cap the scoring.
CRUSHED TO THE CRAWFORD BOXES!#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/4LV8LSoBMh
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 23, 2025
Houston has won four of its last five.
Houston’s first two hits were infield singles, but Walker’s RBI single to center field scored a run and put Alvarez in position for a sacrifice fly to follow.
Walker went 3 for 3 following a rest day on Monday. The Astros newcomer entered Tuesday hitting .156 and was mired in a 3-for-26 slump in his previous eight games.
Blue Jays RHP Bowden Francis (2-2, 3.13 ERA) will face Astros RHP Ryan Gusto (2-1, 3.18 ERA) in the series finale on Wednesday night.
In this episode, we break down the decision to bring rookie Cam Smith up to the Houston Astros big league roster — just 96 plate appearances into his major league journey.
Was it the right call, or a move made out of desperation due to the early-season outfield situation? We dive into the context of the Kyle Tucker trade, the uncertainty surrounding the outfield to start the year, and whether Cam Smith was truly ready — or if the Astros may have rushed a top prospect before he was fully developed.
Don't miss the video below as ESPN Houston's Jeremy Branham and Joel Blank break it all down!