HADER STRUGGLES AGAIN
Houston's bullpen falters, Astros lose to Pirates 6-3
Jul 30, 2024, 10:12 am
HADER STRUGGLES AGAIN
Paul Skenes allowed one earned run over six innings in a no-decision and Michael A. Taylor hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the ninth off Josh Hader that led the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Houston Astros 6-3 on Monday night.
Skenes lowered his ERA from 1.93 to 1.90, giving up two runs, five hits and three walks with six strikeouts. His 103 strikeouts in his first 13 starts trail only Hideo Nomo (119), Kerry Wood (118), Herb Score (107), Jose DeLeon (106), while matching Masahiro Tanaka.
Skenes’ streak of starts with seven or more strikeouts ended at nine, tied with Dwight Gooden (1984) and Brandon Beachy (2011) for the most among rookies, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Skenes averaged 98.5 mph with his fastball, down 0.6 mph from his season average, and he didn’t touch 100 mph. He threw 34 splinkers, 28 fastballs, 28 sliders, eight curveballs and three changeups, getting 16 swings and misses, up from 11 in his first start after the All-Star break.
“I thought it was terrible,” Skenes said of his slider. “I wasn’t executing, and frankly, got lucky. I was trying to find it.”
Houston took a 2-0 lead in the fifth after loading the bases when Jon Singleton singled, Jake Meyers walked and Victor Caratini was hit by a pitch. Jose Altuve hit what appeared to be a potential inning-ending, double-play grounder, but the ball glanced off the glove of Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes for an error as two runs scored.
Yasmani Grandal homered in the sixth off Kaleb Ort and Oneil Cruz hit a tying double in the eighth off Ryan Pressly, a 119.3 mph drive that bounced to the right-field wall. Pressly had entered with 15 consecutive scoreless innings.
Taylor homered in the ninth off Hader (4-6) for a 5-2 lead on a night fans received replica Hader jerseys as a promotional giveaway. Taylor drove a 96.6 mph sinker 421 feet to left-center for his third homer this season.
“I was looking for a fastball, and he’s got a really good one,” Taylor said. “I was looking for one I could hit. It felt great.”
Aroldis Chapman (4-4) struck out two in a one-hit eighth and David Bednar earned his 19th save in 22 chances. He forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk to Yordan Alvarez, then retired Yainer Diaz on a game-ending popout.
“Full team win,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “I think grit is a good word. We’ve had to use a lot of people in the last two days, and we’ve had a lot of people really step up in big moments. So overall, two good team victories.”
Houston’s Tayler Scott pitched three hitless innings in his first big league start this season after Jake Bloss was scratched. The Astros boosted their rotation, acquiring left-hander Yusei Kikuchi from Toronto for Bloss, first baseman/outfielder Joey Loperfido and infielder Will Wagner, son of former pitcher Billy Wagner.
Pittsburgh acquired infielder Nick Yorke from Boston for right-hander Quinn Priester and left-hander Jalen Beeks from Colorado for Double-A left-hander Luis Peralta.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: LHP Bailey Falter (left triceps tendinitis) was activated from the 15-day injured list and is expected to make his first start since July 6 on Tuesday. … RF Joshua Palacios left with left hamstring discomfort in the fifth, an inning after a groundout. ... CF Ji Hwan Bae left with left knee discomfort. ... OF Bryan Reynolds was activated from the bereavement list and OF Jack Suwinski was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Astros: RHP Justin Verlander and RHP Luis Garcia are on track to throw off a mound on Tuesday, manager Joe Espada said. Garcia will face hitters that will swing while Verlander will face batters that will not swing.
UP NEXT
Falter (4-7, 4.08 ERA) will start the second game of the series for the Pirates on Tuesday. Astros RHP Hunter Brown (9-6, 4.40 ERA) will try to extend his streak of pitching six or more innings in 12 consecutive starts, the second-longest streak in the major leagues this season.
Sunday night matchups don't get much exciting than this, as the Houston Texans host the Detroit Lions in prime-time at NRG.
The Lions come into this game on a six-game winning streak looking every bit of the best team in football. Houston on the other hand has lost two of their last three games with a struggling offense unable to protect their quarterback.
CJ Stroud has only one passing touchdown over this span, and is clearly having trouble adjusting to life without Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.
If Houston is going to come away with an upset victory, they will need big performances from Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. After catching 4 passes against the Colts two weeks ago, Mixon not only failed to catch a single pass against the Jets, but he wasn't even targeted.
Considering the Texans' offensive line issues, choosing not to use Mixon as a pass catcher is hard to fathom. Especially since he and Dell are the team's top 2 playmakers.
What's working in the Texans' favor?
They play this game at home, where they are undefeated this season. A lot of the team's protection issues have popped up on the road, so communication should be easier for the offense on their home turf.
Bulls on Parade
We have good news and bad news about the defense this week. On the positive side, Azeez Al-Shaair and Jimmy Ward have returned to practice. If they're able to contribute on Sunday night, that would give the defense a lift.
And now for the bad news. Will Anderson has yet to practice this week after rolling his ankle in the Jets game. If he is unable to practice on Friday, it's hard to imagine he'll be active against Detroit.
X-factors
The Texans have to show some improvement on the offensive line this week.
Houston must lean on Joe Mixon again, as Nico Collins isn't expected to play.
Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the league, and he does most of his damage from the slot. If the Texans continue to deploy Jalen Pitre against premier receivers in man coverage, St. Brown is going to light up the scoreboard.
What would a win over the Lions mean to Houston?
The Texans are no longer considered a true championship contender because of their losses to the Packers, Vikings, and Jets. In fact, the Bills are the only team with a winning record that the Texans have beaten.
An upset win over the streaking Lions would change that narrative.
What does Vegas think?
The Lions are currently favored by 3.5 and the total is set at 49 points.
Don't miss the full preview of Texans-Lions in the video above!
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