I thought the Golden Era was over. I thought the Astros were doomed to mediocrity for the foreseeable future.
OK, there’s lots of season left, and the team still has large holes, but they just swept the Rangers, are 2.5 up in first in the AL West, own the tie-breaker against the Rangers, have a six-game winning streak, and have won 11 of their last twelve games.
Savor these moments.
And they have the best 1-2 hitting combo in baseball. Pena and Alvarez hit in or scored six of the Stros’ runs in this 7-3 win.
The game started frustratingly for the Astros. After a leadoff Jeremy Pena single and a Yordan Alvarez double put runners on second and third with no outs, the Astros were unable to score a run. The leadoff hitter got to second without an out in the second inning, and again the Astros couldn’t score.
When the Astros finally scored, it was aided by a little luck. Alvarez led off with a single, took second on a wild pitch, and third on a fly ball. He scored when a Jose Altuve hit bounced off the pitcher, Kumar Rocker. Altuve got credit for both an infield hit and the game’s first RBI.
There was no luck involved in the game’s second and third runs. Jeremy Pena’s 13th homer, this one to the Crawford Boxes, gave the Astros a 3-1 lead.
Pena has extended his hitting streak to 14 games, in which he has 26 hits and seven home runs.
Meanwhile, Astros starter Peter Lambert was unhittable. He retired his first 12 batters until running into trouble in the fifth. A walk and three singles, including RBI by Evan Carter and Ezequiel Duran, got the Rangers back to within one run. Lambert got help from a runner being thrown out at second and a double play to end the inning.
Lambert went 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight. With a runner on first and two outs in the sixth, Lambert was removed for Steven Okert, who struck out Corey Seager to hold the Astros’ lead.
After wasting so many scoring opportunities, leaving the Rangers in contention despite being severely outhit, the Astros finally broke out in the seventh. Christian Walker led off with a double off Tyler Alexander, followed by a Taylor Trammell hit-by-pitch. After one out, Cole Winn came in to serve an RBI single to Cam Smith.
A walk to Nick Allen loaded the bases for pinch hitter Wade LaMonte. LaMonte hit a soft grounder between first base and the pitcher’s mound. No one covered first, so LaMonte got credit for an RBI single, setting the stage for the top of the order.
The Pena/Alvarez combo may be the best in baseball right now, and it would be a minor miracle for the mediocre Rangers bullpen to get both of them out. Winn got Pena out swinging, but Yordan put his first pitch down the right-field line, a two-run double.
Pena was 2-4 today with a home run and two RBI. Alvarez was 4-5, likewise with two RBI. Alvarez still wears the Triple Crown, but the greatest threat to his reign is Pena’s .322 average. Alvarez still holds court, staving off Pena with his .330 BA, to go with 84 ribbies and 35 homers.
The Astros had 15 hits, but left 12 runners on base. Pena and Alvarez weren’t the only producers today. Smith had three hits, Altuve two, and Trammell had two walks and a hit.
And let’s not forget another solid start from, before this year, the unknown Peter Lambert. If the Astros make the playoffs, at least they have Brown, Lambert, and pray for rain. Oh yeah, long reliever A.J. Blubaugh got a save.
After a terrible start, the bullpen has become a real asset. Hader has returned from IL in top form, Steven Okert is more than reliable. Bryan King looks like he has overcome the yips with another strong performance today. And Bryan Abreu has returned to dominance and might just make that big payday when free agency hits next season after all. And who thought A.J. Blubaugh would turn ot to be a stud?
The Astros take on the Blue Jays and the homecoming, in one way or another, of George Springer, as the trade deadline may bring some changes to the roster of the surging Astros.
I think it’s the 7th. inning. Game tied at 3. Walker starts the inning with a double. Trammell bunt fail, the bunt is a good idea. Trammell is hit by a pitch. Altuve is up….fielder choice. What happened? The bunt is a good idea with no outs and runner in second, tied game. Why not bunt with Altuve, runners on first and second? The team is improving. Espada is not.
I agree. Our running game is still very “off” despite us fixing the poor batting approach with RISP issues (broadly speaking) which we suffered from last year.
Yordan’s numbers skew all analytical data.
That I think is altuve. This is just speculation but I don’t think anyone tells Altuve what to do anymore at this point in his career. He takes when he wants to, he swings when he wants to, he bunts when he wants to, etc. Not even just Joe, I’m pretty sure Dusty also extended that privilege to Altuve too. Whether established veterans should be allowed that kind of freedom is a different discussion, but I’m just saying that although I agree that I would have liked to have seen a bunt attempt to try to score the runner on third with no force at home, the question of “why didn’t Joe tell the batter to sac bunt” is different when the batter is an established legend like Altuve versus say is Lucas Spence were up to bat.
Hum…..Altuve has always been a team player. I have a hard time believing he will put his ego before the team. The other way around is more likely, he’d sacrifice for the team.
Not only to move the runners closer to home, but to stay away from a DP.
You’re talking past each other. Hatter says Altuve has the green light to do what he thinks is best. You say he is a team player. Both are right. Altuve has the green light because his judgment about what is best for the team is trusted.