What's standing between Astros and a three-peat, no one saw coming
STONE COLD 'STROS
13 September 2023
If the Astros are able to finish the deal and win the division for the third straight year, one of the biggest questions about the postseason is which pitchers deserve to be starters.
While Dusty Baker loves his veteran players, the numbers don't lie. JP France has earned his spot in the playoff rotation behind Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander.
The sample size is just too large with Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown at this point. They haven't consistently pitched well in several months. And while one of these guys will likely be one of the team's starters in the postseason, they can't pitch in front of France based on performance.
Plus, with the Astros lead in the division down to 1 game, Dusty needs to put his best offense in the lineup when Brown and Javier are pitching, so the team has a chance to win the game. Both pitchers are lucky to get through 4 innings while only giving up 4 runs at this point.
Let's look at the numbers. Javier has an ERA of 6.21 over his last 7 games, and Brown has given up a WHOPPING 24 earned runs in his last 30 innings. Yes, you read that correctly.
We have all accepted that Martin Maldonado is going to catch Framber and Verlander, but Yainer Diaz and the Astros “Death Lineup” must be employed when Javier and Brown start.
Otherwise, the team is not being given its best chance to win. And we don't want to hear from Dusty about how Maldy can get Hunter Brown straightened out by calling the pitches. How did that work out in his last start? He gave up 6 runs in 4.2 innings and lost to the Padres.
And after two losses to the A's with Framber and JV on the mound, the team's margin for error is almost nonexistent at this point. Winning the division for the third consecutive season now appears to be in jeopardy.
The team has to approach these games knowing they're going to have to score more than 5 runs to win with Javier and Brown on the mound.
Be sure to watch the video above as we break it all down.
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Mauricio Dubón homered twice and Josh Hader stayed perfect in 19 save chances this season by getting Mike Trout to line out to center field with a runner on second as the Houston Astros held off the Los Angeles Angels 8-7 in the rubber game of their series Sunday.
DUBI SENDS ONE OUT! #VoteDubi ⭐️ https://t.co/W06pfHQMR1 pic.twitter.com/XqKhVxPgOs
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 22, 2025
Dubón's second career multihomer game began with a leadoff shot against starter Kyle Hendricks in the fifth inning for the Astros' first run. Dubón added a two-run drive off Hunter Strickland for a 6-5 lead in the sixth.
DOUBLE DUBI DAY! #VoteDubi ⭐️ https://t.co/W06pfHRkGz pic.twitter.com/4dx2q3rvUa
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 22, 2025
Jeremy Peña had an RBI double and Jake Meyers added a sacrifice fly to make it 8-5.
Nolan Schanuel hit an RBI single for the Angels in the seventh, and Zach Neto trimmed it to 8-7 with a solo homer off Hader in the ninth. Schanuel finished with three hits and four RBIs.
Peña hit his 11th home run one out after Dubón’s shot in the fifth to tie it 2-all. Meyers singled, stole second and scored on a two-out error by Luis Rengifo at third base. Christian Walker followed with an RBI double for a 4-2 lead.
Taylor Ward had a two-out double off Astros rookie Ryan Gusto, and Logan O'Hoppe hit his third two-run homer in two days to give the Angels a 2-0 lead in the second. O'Hoppe has 17 home runs and is closing in on the team record for a catcher set by Lance Parrish with 22 in 1990.
LaMonte Wade Jr. and Christian Moore singled in the bottom half, and Schanuel gave the Angels a 5-4 lead with his sixth homer.
Gusto (5-3) allowed five runs and six hits in six innings with seven strikeouts.
Hendricks permitted five runs — three earned — in five innings. Strickland (1-2) worked an inning and was tagged with his first three earned runs this season.
Key moment
The Angels had a run in with two on and two outs down 8-6 in the seventh with Trout coming to bat. Bryan Abreu replaced Bryan King and needed just three pitches to strike out Trout swinging on a pitch in the dirt.
Key stat
Trout went 1 for 11 after entering the series as the active leader against Houston with 30 homers, 30 doubles and 73 RBIs.
Up next
Houston returns home to play the Philadelphia Phillies beginning Tuesday.
The Angels hadn't announced a starter for Monday's series opener against RHP Walker Buehler (5-5, 5.95 ERA) and the visiting Boston Red Sox.
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