FIRE THE HITTING COACHES!
(Oh yeah, we just did that)
Shades of 2025. The Astros wasted decent pitching with a truly pathetic batting performance, getting shut out on only three hits. The Astros managed just four runners in scoring position and were 0-7 given the opportunity to score those runners.
If the hope for the Astros in 2026 rests with starting pitching depth, then the season started auspiciously when starter Hunter Brown struck out the side to start the season in the Angels’ first.
The Astros’ half of the inning started less auspiciously. Batting second, Yordan Alvarez launched a rocket fair to right field, destined for the deep second deck. However, the ball hit a rafter before clearing the fence and veered foul. According to the ground rules, this historic blast ended up in the box score as just another strike.
They say Yankee Stadium was the House Ruth Built. We need a bigger stadium for Yordan.
Through three innings, both teams’ aces showed why they are aces, but also displayed some first-game rust and/or jitters. Brown and Jose Soriano walked three while striking out six and five, respectively, while keeping zeroes on the scoreboard. Soriano walked the bases loaded in the third, but escaped on a hard-hit Carlos Correa flyout.
The Angels threatened in the fourth, managing three cheap “hits,” including a swinging bunt to load the bases, but Brown escaped with a groundout. Brown left the game with two outs in the fifth after walking Mike Trout for the third time and surrendering another so-called hit to leave runners on first and third. A.J. Blubaugh kept the game scoreless, striking out Yoan Moncado on a 99 MPH fastball.
Brown finished his first start with 4.2 IP on 102 pitches, no runs, four hits*, four walks, and nine Ks. He hit 99 on the gun, had a sharp knuckle curve, but we’re hoping for greater economy in the pitch count going forward.
The “cheap hit” snake bit Blubaugh as well in the fifth, but he struck out two to hold the shutout, including a nine-pitch, two-out K over Oswaldo Peraza on a 3-2 breaking ball looking.
Blubaugh could not hold the scoreless deadlock past the seventh, as Mike Trout homered deep to left field in his first official at-bat of 2026. Just keep walking him. His season OPS hit 5.000 at that point in the game!
The Astros did not go down quietly…Exactly. Christian Walker greeted rookie Walbert Urena with a double on his first major league pitch. However, a Yainer Diaz K and a Jake Meyers groundout left it up to Jose Altuve to take advantage of the rare opportunity. Altuve worked a rare (for him) walk, leaving it up to Mighty Yordan to score the first Astros runs of the 2026 season.
No luck. Chase Silseth, in for Urena, grounded out Yordan on his first pitch.
Bryan King relieved Blubaugh in the eighth, surrending a two-out RBI broken-bat single to Peraza, giving the Halos a 2-0 lead.
Seeming to concede the game, Manager Joe Espada inserted 26th-man Christian Roa to pitch in the ninth, who surrendered a solo-homer to Nolan Schanuel to cement the angel’s eventual 3-0 win.
Especially loud Bronx cheers go out to Cam Smith and Yainer Diaz, each of whom struck out twice, once each with runners in scoring position.
Two silver linings: Joey Loperfido had two of the three Astros hits, both well-struck. The other lining was the hit by the usually slow-starting and aging Christian Walker, who just missed a homer to deep, left-center field.
Repeat after me. It’s only one game. It’s only one game. It’s only one game. I don’t know. For some reason, the other teams’ pitchers always pitch really well against the Astros.
Next game Friday. What’s the over/under on when the Astros finally score a run, and will it happen during Mike Burrows’ debut?
Feature photo from @astros on X, Source Link.
Bat discipline left a lot to be desired, for sure.
I’m also trying to understand why it was so important to push the ace to 100+ pitches in Game 1 when we’re in a universe where starters rarely make it past the 7th inning.
The facial expression in that picture…. That was pretty much my expression too yesterday.