Another stinker of a game. At least the first two losses in this series were competitive, though. The third game? It wasn’t even close.
Hayden Wesneski obviously struggled, with his velocity down and his pitches not looking sharp. He only generated four whiffs on 31 swings. Of the 14 batted balls that the Rays put into play against Wesneski in his three innings, seven were classified as hard hits. Thanks to the defensive issues of others, the right-hander was only charged three earned runs. But, overall, 7-0 after three innings. It doesn’t really matter if those runs were earned or unearned, as it still happened. Enyel De Los Santos and Ronel Blanco also made appearances, allowing a combined seven earned runs.
Again, 14 runs allowed. That’ll hurt the run differential.
The lineup was also dreadful even with Yordan Alvarez back. Freddy Peralta no-hit the Astros for five innings. The team’s first hit didn’t arrive until Isaac Paredes’s two-run home run in the sixth to end the no-hitter and shutout. Thank goodness for small miracles, I guess. Nick Allen and Nelson Velázquez would hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth, but it didn’t matter.
With the Mariners and Rangers winning their respective games on Sunday, when writing this recap, the Astros will likely lose another game in the standings. What started as a promising road trip in Philadelphia turned into a massive disappointment in Tampa.
Feature photo from Astros on X
