ASTROS DEFEAT MARLINS
Framber fans 10, Lopefido homers as Astros beat Marlins
Jul 10, 2024, 10:00 pm
Astros defeat Marlins, 9-1. Composite Getty Image.
Framber Valdez struck out a season-high 10 and allowed one run in seven innings, and rookie Joey Loperfido homered and tripled to lead the Houston Astros to a 9-1 victory over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night.
Yordan gives us a 5-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/8cc1eLHrbf
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 11, 2024
Valdez (8-5) allowed just six singles and earned his third straight win.
Loperfido hit a two-run homer as the Astros jumped on Bryan Hoeing (0-2) for four runs in the second inning to take a 5-0 lead. His first career triple came in the fourth inning.
The win was the eighth straight at home for the Astros, who have won eight of their last 11 games overall to improve to 48-44.
Rookie Xavier Edwards had two hits and drove in Miami’s only run.
Hoeing, who has made 11 relief appearances this season, permitted eight hits and five runs — four earned — in three innings in his second start of the year.
Jose Altuve hit a leadoff single before Yordan Alvarez walked with one out. Both players stole a base before Altuve scored on a single to right field by Yainer Diaz to make it 1-0. Alvarez attempted to score on the play, but was tagged out at the plate.
Jon Singleton singled to start Houston’s second and scored when Jake Meyers doubled to center field on a ball that was deflected by Jazz Chisholm Jr. as he crashed off the padded wall.
Meyers moved to third on a wild pitch by Hoeing before Loperfido’s one-out shot to right field made it 4-0. Alex Bregman hit an infield single with one out and Hoeing’s throwing error on the play left him at second.
Houston extended the lead to 5-0 when Bregman scored on a single to center field by Alvarez.
Loperfido tripled when his fly ball sailed just out of reach of Chisholm with no outs in the fourth. He scored when Bregman reached on a fielder’s choice that made it 6-0.
Edwards cut the lead to 6-1 on an RBI single with one out in the fifth.
An RBI double by Trey Cabbage pushed Houston’s advantage to 7-1 with one out in the sixth. Diaz smacked a single to center field to score two more after that and make it 9-1.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: Alvarez was lifted for a pinch hitter in the fourth inning because of tightness in his right hip.
UP NEXT
Houston RHP Jake Bloss (0-0, 4.91 ERA) is scheduled to come off the injured list to make his second major league start in the series finale Thursday night. Bloss injured his shoulder in his MLB debut June 21 and threw four scoreless innings in a rehabilitation outing with Triple-A Sugar Land Saturday. RHP Roddery Muñoz (1-3, 5.48) will start for Miami.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
Isaac Paredes has been a steady force in the middle of the Astros’ order, but a tweaked hamstring suffered during Thursday’s win over the White Sox may force Houston to recalibrate, again.
If Paredes misses time, the most logical shuffle would see Jose Altuve sliding back to second base, with Mauricio Dubón stepping in at third. It’s a reasonable patch. But internally, there’s also some intrigue around whether Cam Smith—currently thriving in right field—could slide back to his original position on the infield. The idea isn’t without merit; Smith is the club’s best offensive option at third in Paredes’ absence. But defensively, it’s hard to justify moving him right now. Smith made several standout plays in the Chicago series, reinforcing just how important his glove has become to the Astros’ outfield defense. One thing is for sure, the Astros can't afford to play both Dubon and Brendon Rodgers in the infield regularly. The offense would take a huge hit.
Timing, however, might be on Houston’s side. The next stretch of games features the Twins, Athletics, and Angels—three teams the Astros can beat even while navigating lineup instability. It helps that Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker are showing signs of life at the plate. Diaz, in particular, has been red-hot, posting an OPS north of 1.200 over the past week. Walker is batting over .300 during that same span, giving the Astros enough firepower to survive short-term turbulence.
Elsewhere, the outfield presents its own set of choices. Jacob Melton has shown enough in the field to warrant a serious look as Chas McCormick’s replacement when he returns from injury. He’s still searching for consistency at the plate, batting under .200 in his first 10 big league games. But his arm and left-handed bat give manager Joe Espada a little more lineup flexibility—especially with Yordan Alvarez still out and the offense skewing right-handed.
For now, the Astros have room to adjust. But if Paredes ends up missing significant time, they’ll need more than just a few temporary solutions to keep their momentum going.
There's so much more to cover! 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!