Houston has hit a rough patch
Astros lose fourth straight as Orioles complete sweep in Houston
Jun 30, 2021, 10:47 pm
Houston has hit a rough patch
Houston's offense came up short yet again against the Orioles on Wednesday.
After dropping the first two games of this series, the Astros looked to salvage a game against the Orioles to avoid a series sweep against one of the MLB's worst teams in terms of record. They would fail that mission, losing their fourth in a row against beatable teams in a disappointing fashion.
Final Score: Orioles 5, Astros 2
Astros' Record: 48-33, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Tanner Scott (3-3)
Losing Pitcher: Luis Garcia (6-5)
Thanks in part to a remarkably disparate strike zone by home plate umpire CB Bucknor, which would get pitching coach Brent Strom ejected, Luis Garcia had a very disappointing start to his night. After back-to-back walks to start the game, one of which easily could have been a strikeout, Baltimore would take advantage and put up four runs and make Garcia use 44 pitches on a two-RBI double, RBI single, and a sac fly.
Garcia would do well to rebound for three more innings, allowing just one more hit in his four frames of work. Houston was able to get on the board against Matt Harvey in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to RBI singles by Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker to cut the lead in half at 4-2. Brandon Bielak was first out of Houston's bullpen in the top of the fifth, and he erased a leadoff single to keep it a two-run game.
Yordan gets us on the board. 👏#VoteAlvarez 🌟 https://t.co/W1Z6NoLggU pic.twitter.com/NwWsmX15Se
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 1, 2021
Cristian Javier came on in the top of the sixth, and he was able to work around a one-out single and walk to retire the side scoreless. He returned to get two more outs in the top of the seventh before issuing a walk that would prompt Dusty Baker to give Ryan Hartman, who moved onto the roster earlier in the day, his major league debut.
Hartman finished off the seventh but then allowed a solo homer to begin the top of the eighth to make it a three-run game before finishing the frame. With the score still 5-2 in the top of the ninth, Hartman returned for more work, erasing a two-out single to complete another inning. That score would go final as Houston would not rally, suffering their fourth-straight loss, including the three-game sweep by the Orioles.
Up Next: With this short three-game homestand over, the Astros will head back on the road for the rest of the week, picking up a four-game series with the Indians at 6:10 PM Central on Thursday. Framber Valdez (4-1, 2.11 ERA) will be on the mound for Houston in the opener, while J.C. Mejia (1-2, 4.94 ERA) is expected to start for Cleveland.
Yordan Alvarez’s long home run backed a solid start by Hunter Brown as the Houston Astros beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3 on Sunday in the series finale to avoid being swept.
YORDADDY WITH A 3 RUN HOMER!#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/yKg2avqMmC
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 27, 2025
Alvarez snapped Houston’s 26-inning scoreless streak, crushing Kris Bubic’s sinker 436 feet to center for a three-run homer and a 3-0 Astros lead in the third inning.
Brown (4-1), who allowed one run on seven hits and a walk with nine strikeouts over six innings, surrendered a lone hit in each of the first four innings but struck out seven while not allowing a runner past second.
Brown’s 28-inning shutout streak – fifth longest in franchise history – ended in the fifth inning on a two-out single by Jonathan India and an RBI double by Bobby Witt Jr.
Leading off the fifth, Chas McCormick doubled and scored on Jeremy Peña’s single. McCormick had three hits and scored three runs for the Astros.
Peña’s two-out, two-run double in the sixth extended Houston’s lead to 6-1. Peña collected three RBIs in his first game batting leadoff.
La Tormenta is here. #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/EVE7XmXGQA
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 27, 2025
Yainer Diaz added a solo home run in the seventh.
Yainer goes yard! #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/KdrFMPcKpq
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 27, 2025
Bubic (2-2) allowed four runs on five hits and three walks, striking out four in five innings.
India had a pair of singles and drove in a run while Witt extended his hitting streak to a career-best 19 games.
Isaac Paredes drew a four-pitch walk ahead of Alvarez’s three-run blast.
Alvarez, who led left-handed major leaguers with a .362 average against left-handed pitchers in 2024, hit his first homer of this season against a left-hander.
The Astros open a three-game homestand Monday against Detroit with Tigers RHP Jack Flaherty (1-2, 2.63 ERA) opposing RHP Ronel Blanco (2-2, 5.01).
Tuesday, the Royals begin a three-game series against the Rays in Tampa with Royals RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-3, 3.90) against RHP Taj Bradley (2-1, 5.08).