Before I start this recap, I want to take a moment to extend TLA’s thoughts and prayers to Joe Espada and his family. Espada didn’t manage the game for the Astros this afternoon, with Omar López taking his place for the finale against the A’s. There are more important things in life than baseball.
Now, back to the recap.
A 6-0 lead against the A’s entering the fifth inning and the Astros still lost. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised anymore.
Pain.
Honestly, I can’t think of anything better to say other than this team isn’t good. A well-timed hot streak helped mask some issues for a time, but not so much any longer. A contender doesn’t drop six of nine at home against teams with a losing record, particularly against teams within your division. These Astros happen to be tied with the Rangers for the AL West lead in late August simply due to the incompetence of their rivals.
This game started on the right foot, though. The Astros took an early 6-0 lead, with Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve each hitting home runs. After four innings, I was beginning to feel somewhat optimistic. Then I remembered Cristian Javier was pitching, so I tried to keep my expectations in check.
Javier was actually pitching well in the first four innings, generating plenty of whiffs along the way with both his four-seam and sweeper. It was an encouraging start if you paused the tape there. Alas, it was also getting to that point in the game when you started wondering if he could get through five innings. As it stands, you can’t really trust him going through the order more than twice at most. Preferably the Astros would’ve liked to see him get through at least five, perhaps six, innings considering the state of the bullpen. Unfortunately, the wheels came off in a hurry, as is Javier’s style, with the first hitters of fifth reaching for the A’s before he allowed a three-run shot to Brian Serven. Suddenly, a 6-3 lead, and it is a game again.
López brought in Enyel De Los Santos to relieve Javier. Unfortunately, De Los Santos also imploded and generated one out before Kai-Wei Teng relieved him. Before the inning was over, the A’s would tie the game 6-6.
The game would remain scoreless until Max Muncy’s solo home run broke the tie in the seventh and that proved to be the difference. The Astros had a couple of chances to score, but nothing ever materialized. For a game that started with such promise, it ended in resounding disappointment.
Feature photo from Astros on X
In all the unpleasantness of this season, one particular piece of bad luck is the fact that it’s also the year that TLA was, well, launched. All your hard work for a really unrewarding effort by the Astros. Sigh.
On the other hand: The old site picked a great year to crash and burn. They are doomed to irrelevance without their original writers and userbase. All the “named” writers in the world can’t make up for chasing off the hardcore people who built that community.
TLA has a chance to survive this period, and will thrive if the Astros don’t give in to mediocrity or the urge to tank and pretend Lunhow’s script is replicable. If the Astros do just give up on contending, well, anyone and everyone tied to them is at risk if we’re honest. I’d still pick this group over others though.
With Crane acting as a de facto GM, we don’t have a chance.