Not every game is a joy to watch from start to finish. Some feel like a chore to watch. Simply a grind. I can’t imagine another way to describe Peter Lambert’s start against San Diego other than that, as a grind. 97 pitches, with the first 70 occurring over just nine outs. The Padres had 21 foul balls and his four-seam had an average exit velocity of 98.5 mph. This start won’t go down as one of Lambert’s more impressive performances.
That said, Lambert still threw five innings, allowing three runs in the process. In a start when he clearly was laboring at times, he still got the Astros through five innings without too large of a deficit. It was an acceptable result to keep the game within striking distance. Sometimes you can’t ask for more than that.
It would also help if the lineup could muster something, but alas, it didn’t.
Michael King and the Padres’ bullpen had little issues with the Astros’ lineup on Saturday. other than Taylor Trammell’s solo home run in the second inning and Yainer Díaz’s RBI single in the ninth, there wasn’t much to watch from the bats. Jake Meyers striking out with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh truly stung.
Enyel De Los Santos and Bryan King threw a combined three scoreless innings in relief of Lambert. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough, as San Diego kept the lead and won the game. With the Rangers winning, the Astros’ lead in the AL West is down to just 0.5 games.
Feature photo from Astros on X
In all fairness, the Padres scored two earned runs. JP3 allowed the third run with an ugly error. Vazquez decided to allow two stolen bases without a throw to preserve his good image, and blame the pitcher, I guess.
Espada didn’t try anything other than pinch hit thrice. Once for Vazquez to let him know he wasn’t happy with him allowing the SBs without a throw, I am guessing again.
The Astros were a lifeless team going through the motions. The bodies were there, the spirits took the day off.
Chore watching, this game.