HADER ROCKED AGAIN
Raleigh's 9th inning homer gives Mariners 5-4 win over Astros
May 6, 2024, 12:28 pm
Josh Hader is off to a rough start as an Astro. Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images.
Cal Raleigh hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the ninth to give the Seattle Mariners a 5-4 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Raleigh sent an 0-2 pitch from Josh Hader (1-3) into the Crawford Boxes in left field with one out in the ninth. Luis Urías tied it at four in the eighth on an RBI single.
Raleigh said he was looking for a fastball, and he got one.
“I was looking for the heater the whole at bat and adjust to anything else,” he said. “He made two good pitches before that. I didn’t come off my plan. He left it middle of the plate, and I got to it.”
Hader said he was trying to go up and in and missed.
“I just didn’t execute my pitch,” Hader said. “At the end of the day, executing your pitches, sometimes it works out for you.”
It was Raleigh’s second go-ahead home run in the ninth or later this season.
“He finds a way,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said of Raleigh. “He typically hits the ball in the air. Late in games, if you have power to hit the ball in the air, good things are going to happen.”
Andrés Muñoz (2-2) pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for the win.
Seattle has won six straight series.
“We’re pitching awesome,” Servais said. “I’ve talked about that for the last month or so. Our defense has really picked up I thought. … We’re still not clicking offensively, but we’re starting to make some strides.”
Jon Singleton launched a two-run homer to right to give Houston a 4-3 lead in the seventh. Kyle Tucker cut the lead to 3-2 with a two-run homer to right in the sixth.
Luke Raley hit a solo home run into the second deck in right field to lead off the sixth, and the Mariners got two in the second on an Urías bases loaded walk and Josh Rojas RBI single. Rojas finished with three hits.
Seattle starter Bryce Miller allowed four runs on six hits with three strikeouts in six innings.
Houston starter Hunter Brown gave up two runs on five hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: José Urquidy (right forearm strain) had his live batting practice pushed back from Sunday to Tuesday in Houston to “give him an extra day,” manager Joe Espada said. … INF Grae Kessinger (right shoulder) started a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday. … RHP Cristian Javier (neck discomfort) came out of his rehab start Saturday with Double-A Corpus Christi feeling “good,” Espada said, adding that the plan is for Javier to rejoin the team on the upcoming road trip.
UP NEXT
Mariners: RHP Luis Castillo (3-4, 3.46 ERA) will open a four-game series Monday at the Twins, who will start RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (1-0, 2.45 ERA).
Astros: After a day off Monday, RHP Justin Verlander (1-0, 2.08 ERA) will start Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series at the Yankees, who will start RHP Luis Gil (2-1, 3.19 ERA).
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The Astros and the Yankees in the Bronx this weekend. Fun! And important. Both teams have been in results ruts for a while. The Astros have gone 9-16 over their last 25 games while the Yankees’ funk is longer extending, producing a 19-29 mess over their last 48 games. Despite the Seattle Mariners closing in, the Astros still lead the American League West. The Yankees’ hopes of again winning the AL East are fading toward the point of no return. They have tumbled six and a half games behind the Toronto Blue Jays and also lag three games behind the rampaging Boston Red Sox. Hence, the Yankees are under clearly more pressure than are the Astros this weekend. The pitching matchups in the first two games strongly favor the Astros. Friday night it’s Hunter Brown opposite rookie Cam Schlittler who makes his fifth big league appearance. Saturday afternoon it’s Framber Valdez versus Luis Gil, who was the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year, but missed the first four months of this season with a lat injury. Gil made his 2025 debut Sunday, and was terrible. The Astros’ quality rotation depth beyond Brown and Valdez is non-existent at this point. Their Sunday starter will be a lesser starter than the Yankees’ Max Fried. Of course, in one game you never know.
The Astros have thoroughly owned the Yankees in their most meaningful meetings over the last decade. In 2015 the ousted the Yankees in a one-game Wild Card matchup. Then came the real soul-crushers with the Astros vanquishing the Yanks in the 2017, 2019, and 2022 American League Championship Series, with it getting easier for the Astros as time went on. The 2017 series went the maximum seven games, 2019 took six, 2022 was a four-game Astros’ sweep. The regular season has been a different matter. The Yankees have beaten the Astros in 11 of 14 games over the last two years. Last season the Yankees walloped the Astros six wins to one. They only play six times this regular season: the three in New York this weekend then three at Daikin Park in early September.
Here comes the Judge
While the Astros (and their fans) endure a seemingly never-ending wait for Yordan Alvarez’s return to the lineup, the Yankees have Aaron Judge back after a 10-day stint on the injured list. Judge carries the burden of soft career postseason stats (though he has 16 home runs in just 58 postseason games and his career playoffs OPS is just 21 points lower than Alex Bregman’s), but this is a legendary player. Judge’s career OPS stands at a whopping 1.024. That number will drop during the decline years remaining in his career, but here’s the list of all time Major Leaguers higher than 1.024: Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Barry Bonds, and Jimmie Foxx. Those are arguably the four greatest offensive players in MLB history, plus Foxx who probably rates in the top 20. If he holds up the rest of the season, Judge is a cinch for his third AL Most Valuable Player Award in four years.
Turn back the clock
Should they choose to check it out, the Astros can watch the Yankees’ Old-Timers' Game Saturday. Though most of the greatest of Yankee legends have died, there will still be a fabulous cast of alumni who soak up cheers during introductions, with many of them then taking part in a two or three inning game. The Yankees are by far the most storied franchise in MLB. The Astros have plenty of history and beloved players over multiple generations to copy the concept, and have their own Old-Timers' Day at Daikin Park. Would it not be a blast to see Roger Clemens pitch to Craig Biggio? Roy Oswalt to Lance Berkman? As I said during our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast this week, I wouldn’t bet against 78 (as of Friday)-year-old Jose Cruz squaring up a ball for a line drive. Make Astros’ Old Timers’ Day happen in 2026 Jim Crane!
Angry birds
The best team in the American League is Toronto, best for now anyway. The Blue Jays have been the best over the last two months-plus. The Jays woke up May 29 at 27-28. Since then they are 41-20. Over that time frame the Astros have the third-best record in the AL behind the Jays and Red Sox. A notable part of Toronto’s success the past month is Joey Loperfido. He didn’t make the Jays’ big league squad coming out of spring training, and wasn’t called up until July 6. Over 72 at bats since getting back to “The Show” Loperfido is batting .389 with a .978 OPS. Reminder that Loperfido hit .372 over his first 43 at bats with the Astros. Full credit to Joey for a magnificent month. Still, there is no reason for the Astros to be wracked with regret for having included Loperfido in last season’s trade for Yusei Kikuchi.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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