HUNTER TO THE RESCUE
Houston Astros turn to Hunter Brown to bounce back against Padres
Sep 17, 2024, 11:55 am
The Astros lead the AL West by four games. Composite Getty Image.
The Houston Astros (81-69, first in the AL West) will face the San Diego Padres (86-65, second in the NL West) on Tuesday night in San Diego. After the Padres took the series opener, both teams will look to continue their push toward the postseason.
Pitching Matchup:
- Astros: Hunter Brown (11-8, 3.59 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 168 strikeouts)
- Padres: Michael King (12-9, 3.06 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 191 strikeouts)
Brown will aim to keep the Astros in control of the AL West, while King seeks to build on his strong season as the Padres fight for a playoff spot.
Team Outlook: San Diego holds a 41-35 record at home and has thrived when hitting for power, going 38-13 when hitting two or more home runs. They’ll rely on key players like Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., who has been on a hot streak with four homers in his last 10 games.
Houston, meanwhile, remains dangerous on the road with a 39-37 record. They have been efficient offensively, going 62-9 in games where they score five or more runs. Jose Altuve continues to be a key contributor with 29 doubles and a .302 batting average, while Yainer Diaz has been swinging a hot bat recently.
Recent Form:
- Padres: 6-4 in their last 10 games, hitting .279 with a 2.70 team ERA and a run differential of +16.
- Astros: 6-4 in their last 10 games, hitting .291 with a 3.91 ERA, outscoring opponents by 13 runs.
With both teams in good form, Tuesday's game promises to be another competitive matchup.
Betting Line: Padres -115, Astros -104, over/under 7.5 runs.
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*ChatGPT aided with this article.
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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.