ASTROS DEFEAT ROCKIES
Arrighetti fans 10 as Astros run streak to 7 games with win over Rockies
Jun 26, 2024, 4:16 pm
ASTROS DEFEAT ROCKIES
Rookie Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high 10 in seven scoreless innings and Yainer Diaz had three hits to lead the Houston Astros to a 7-1 win over Colorado Wednesday that extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games.
Yainer keeps the inning alive!#VoteYainer ⭐️ https://t.co/UTDeXYKIHd pic.twitter.com/lWQtZUPZgH
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 26, 2024
The Astros, who opened 7-19, improved to 40-40 and reached .500 for the first time this season.
Arrighetti (4-6) tied a season-low with three hits and didn’t walk a batter for the first time this year in his longest start of the season.
Nine so fine.
Career high Ks for Arrighetti! pic.twitter.com/e2Nm0jt2UT
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 26, 2024
Colorado fell to 0-4 against Houston this year and have lost 11 in a row at Minute Maid Park, dating to Aug. 15, 2018. Their only run Wednesday came on a sacrifice fly by Brenton Doyle in the eighth inning as they dropped a third straight game.
The Astros were up by 2 before tacking on four runs in the seventh inning to push the lead to 6-0.
Ryan Feltner (1-7) permitted seven hits and four runs in six-plus innings for his sixth straight loss.
Jose Altuve started Houston’s fourth with a single and stole second base with one out before Feltner hit Yordan Alvarez with a pitch. Altuve swiped third base before Houston took a 1-0 lead when he scored on Diaz’s single to right field.
Arrighetti retired his first 10 batters before Ezequiel Tovar singled with one out in the fourth. Colorado’s next hit came on a double by Nolan Jones with two outs in the fifth, but Arrighetti struck out Jake Cave to leave him stranded.
A two-out RBI single by Altuve made it 2-0 in the fifth.
Tovar doubled with two outs in the sixth, but Arrighetti fanned Ryan McMahon to end the inning.
The Astros started the scoring in the seventh on César Salazar’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded that extended the lead to 3-0. Altuve hit a soft grounder to Tovar at shortstop and his throw home was high, allowing another run to score.
Alex Bregman then grounded into a forceout, but a throwing error by second baseman Brendan Rodgers sent another run home to extend the lead to 5-0. Alvarez hit a ground-rule double before the Astros made it 6-0 on an RBI single by Diaz.
Jeremy Peña made it 7-1 with an RBI single with no outs in the eighth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: Place RHP Jake Bird on the 15-day injured list with a right groin strain, retroactive to Sunday.
Astros: OF Kyle Tucker (bruised right shin) took 30 swings off a batting tee Tuesday and will travel with the team on the upcoming road trip as the Astros look for him to continue to increase baseball activity.
UP NEXT Rockies: The team is off Thursday before RHP Dakota Hudson (2-10, 5.63 ERA) opposes RHP Drew Thorpe (1-1, 5.02) in the opener of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox Friday night.
Astros: Houston is also off Thursday and RHP Ronel Blanco (8-2, 2.34) will face LHP Jose Quintana (3-5, 4.58) in the first of three games against the New York Mets Friday night.
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:
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.
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