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How Dusty Baker may have finally restored order to Astros lineup, Houston offense
Jun 2, 2023, 1:59 pm
How Dusty Baker may have finally restored order to Astros lineup, Houston offense
The return of Jose Altuve has definitely given the Astros' offense a spark, as expected, but his arrival also created an opportunity for a ripple effect in the batting order. It took some time, but Dusty Baker has finally gone back to a similar lineup from the postseason, which was clearly effective for the club.
Slotting Jeremy Pena back in the 2-hole, and moving Alex Bregman to cleanup seems to be the secret sauce for the team. As excited as we are to see the offense get going, many question why it took so long for Dusty Baker to make the switch. Especially considering that Jose Abreu has been the worst offensive player on the team, and Baker continued to bat Abreu fourth with no success for almost a third of the season.
So will this be the set order moving forward, or is there still some tinkering to do with the lineup to maximize results?
Be sure to watch the video above as we break it all down!
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.