GIANTS DEFEAT ASTROS
Late rally falls short as Astros drop opener to San Francisco
Mar 31, 2025, 10:30 pm
The Giants beat the Astros, 7-2. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.
Wilmer Flores hit his third homer of the season and drove in four runs to lead the San Francisco Giants over the Houston Astros 7-2 on Monday night.
Giants starter Jordan Hicks (1-0), who grew up in suburban Houston, allowed only a first-inning single and struck out six in six innings.
There were two on with two outs in the sixth when Flores sent a slider from Luis Contreras into the left-field seats to make it 5-0. The homer came after Flores hit an RBI single in the second to give San Francisco an early lead.
The Astros had managed just one hit and had a runner on second when Jose Altuve singled off Spencer Bivens with two outs in the eighth. Isaac Paredes then smacked a double off the wall in left field to score two runs and cut it to 5-2. Erik Miller took over and struck out Yordan Alvarez to end the inning.
Isaac off the wall!#TheNextFrontier pic.twitter.com/oxXINXHz2o
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 1, 2025
Ronel Blanco (0-1), who threw a no-hitter in his season debut last year, allowed three hits and three runs with three walks in five-plus innings.
LaMonte Wade Jr. had a sacrifice fly in the fifth that made it 2-0.
Christian Walker singled with two outs in the first before Hicks retired the next 14 batters, fanning five straight. Altuve walked with one out in the sixth, but Hicks set down the next two batters to end the inning and his night.
Matt Chapman drove in two runs with a single in the ninth that made it 7-2.
Key moment
The home run by Flores that padded the lead in the sixth.
Key stat
San Francisco’s Bob Melvin managed his 200th career game against the Astros, improving to 99-101 with the victory.
Up next
RHP Hayden Wesneski makes his Houston debut against RHP Logan Webb when the series continues Tuesday night. Wesneski joined the Astros this offseason from the Chicago Cubs as part of the trade for outfielder Kyle Tucker.
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The Astros’ latest showdown with the Yankees was more than another chapter in baseball’s best modern rivalry, it was a measuring stick for where Houston stands heading into the stretch run.
At the plate, it’s hard to ask for much more from Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve. Correa hasn’t just been good since rejoining the team, he’s been absurd, hitting over .400 with an OPS pushing 1.100. Altuve keeps stacking milestone moments, and Christian Walker’s bat has been a steady force as well. The collective numbers tell a similar story: since the trade deadline, Houston ranks eighth in OPS and fifth in batting average. And yet, the run total still sits right where it’s been most of the year, squarely in the middle of the pack at 16th. The pieces are there, but the offense hasn’t fully exploded.
The more pressing concern, though, is on the mound. What was an elite pitching staff for most of the season has been much more ordinary lately — 13th in ERA and 15th in WHIP over the past month, with similar August rankings. Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, and Spencer Arrighetti are still working their way back to full strength, and until they do, the bullpen is carrying more innings than Joe Espada would like. That’s a dangerous formula when one of your key arms, in this case Javier, is coming back with control issues. In three rehab starts for Sugar Land, he walked 10 batters in just 9.2 innings, so don’t expect him to go much beyond 3–4 innings in his first start back Monday night against Boston. (I hope I'm wrong).
Complicating matters: the Mariners aren’t just lurking, they’re surging. Seven straight wins, nine of their last ten, and now only a half-game back of Houston. This AL West race has all the makings of a sprint to the finish, and the final series between the two teams could decide it.
If the Astros do hang on, Joe Espada should get plenty of credit, maybe even Manager of the Year. He’s managed through a roster crunch that once saw 18 players on the injured list, navigated the post-Alex Bregman and post-Kyle Tucker transition, and still found ways to develop young talent like Cam Smith. That’s a rare balancing act in any season, let alone one with this much turbulence. Oh yeah, he's also missing that Yordan Alvarez guy for most of the season.
Monday night fireworks!
Javier and Bregman returning is big, but seeing Correa back in Astros colors might be the real showstopper. In orange and blue, he looks like he never left—and maybe even more dangerous than before. Jim Crane’s bold deadline push has only added to the firepower, and no one might benefit more than Jose Altuve.
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 on Thursday!
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