Houston Astros aim to rebound in crucial Game 2 against Giants
ASTROS PREVIEW
11 June
Ronel Blanco is on the bump for Houston Tuesday night. Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images.
Houston Astros (30-37, third in the AL West) vs. San Francisco Giants (33-34, third in the NL West)
San Francisco; Tuesday, 9:45 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Ronel Blanco (5-2, 2.78 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 59 strikeouts); Giants: Jordan Hicks (4-2, 2.82 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 59 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Astros -113, Giants -107; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants play the Houston Astros with a 1-0 series lead.
San Francisco has a 33-34 record overall and an 18-14 record at home. The Giants have hit 64 total home runs to rank eighth in the NL.
Houston is 13-19 on the road and 30-37 overall. The Astros are 15-29 in games when they have allowed at least one home run.
Tuesday’s game is the second meeting between these teams this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Matt Chapman leads San Francisco with eight home runs while slugging .407. Heliot Ramos is 13-for-38 with four home runs and 10 RBI over the last 10 games.
Alex Bregman has 12 doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 31 RBI for the Astros. Yordan Alvarez is 15-for-39 with four doubles, a triple and four home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Giants: 4-6, .235 batting average, 4.49 ERA, outscored by eight runs
Astros: 5-5, .264 batting average, 3.63 ERA, outscored opponents by nine runs
INJURIES: Giants: Blake Snell: 15-Day IL (groin), Marco Luciano: 10-Day IL (undisclosed), LaMonte Wade Jr: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Jung Hoo Lee: 60-Day IL (labrum), Tom Murphy: 60-Day IL (head), Nick Ahmed: 10-Day IL (wrist), Alex Cobb: 60-Day IL (hip), Ethan Small: 60-Day IL (oblique), Austin Warren: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tristan Beck: 60-Day IL (arm), Robbie Ray: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Astros: Kyle Tucker: 10-Day IL (shin), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (forearm), Spencer Arrighetti: day-to-day (calf), Cristian Javier: 15-Day IL (forearm), Oliver Ortega: 60-Day IL (elbow), Bennett Sousa: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Penn Murfee: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Garcia: 60-Day IL (elbow), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (elbow), Kendall Graveman: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Hunter Brown had eight strikeouts in six innings to remain one of the hottest pitchers in baseball, helping the Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 8-1 on Wednesday.
Chas McCormick homered for the first time in more than a month and Jose Altuve had three hits and two RBIs as the Astros bounced back to win the last game of the series after losing the first two in likely their final regular-season trip to the Coliseum.
The game was played before 14,978 fans, the third-largest crowd at the Coliseum this season.
Seth Brown had three hits for the A’s. Oakland had won five of six.
Hunter Brown (9-6) pitched around traffic in every inning he worked but limited the damage while winning for the eighth time in his last nine starts. The right-hander struck out the side twice and allowed eight hits with one walk.
During his strong stretch, Brown has lowered his ERA from 6.18 to 4.00.
Bryan Abreu, Taylor Scott and Bryan King retired three batters each to finish the game.
Lawrence Butler and Miguel Andujar got Oakland going early with back-to-back doubles in the first inning. Andujar was later thrown out by Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña trying to score on a grounder.
Houston tied it in the second after Jon Singleton reached on a two-base fielding error by Seth Brown at first base, then scored on Alutve’s single to left field. Altuve tried to stretch the hit into a double but was thrown out by Andujar.
Peña added an RBI single that deflected off Oakland pitcher JP Sears’ foot and bounced into left field in the sixth.
Altuve and Alex Bregman each doubled in a run as part of a four-run seventh.
Smoked down the line. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/tLM7LxTLi9
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 24, 2024
Sears (7-8), unbeaten in his three previous starts this month, allowed eight runs (seven earned) and nine hits in six innings.
The A’s put two on with two outs in the seventh before Astros center fielder Jake Meyers made a tumbling catch on Brent Rooker’s short flyball to end the inning.
UP NEXT
Astros: Had not announced a scheduled starting pitcher for Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Minute Maid Park.
Athletics: The team plans to activate RHP Ross Stripling (1-9, 5.82 ERA) off the injured list to start Thursday’s series opener against the Angels. Stripling has been on a rehab assignment recovering from a strained right elbow.
