The Houston Astros took two out of three on the road against the Los Angeles Angels at their ballpark and remained on the West Coast as they started a three-game week series against the San Francisco Giants. It was a pitcher’s duel early on between a couple of rookies and the game ended up needing to be decided in extra innings as the Astros fell 4-3 and dropped to 30-37 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Jose Altuve was safe to begin the game after Giants third baseman Casey Schmitt was called for a fielding error. Alex Bregman however grounded into a double play and Yordan Alvarez grounded out to send it to the bottom of the first.
Brett Wisely led off for San Fran with a single to center field. Patrick Bailey walked after Heliot Ramos struck out but Michael Conforto hit a pop fly and Jorge Soler grounded out to third to end the first inning.
Houston got their first hit in the fourth when Altuve singled into left field but Bregman lined out in center field, Alvarez hit into a fielder’s choice, and Pena grounded out to third base.
Soler threatened to score as he began the bottom of the fourth with a single and advanced to second base on a groundout by Mike Yastrzemski. Bregman couldn’t coral the ball as it passed the third baseline on the initial hit but Thairo Estrada fouled out at first and Trenton Brooks hit a flyout to end the inning.
Houston’s Jake Meyers singled into center field and stole second after Mauricio Dubon lined out in right field. Jose Abreu helped advance Meyers to third with a groundout to the shortstop but Chas McCormick struck out to keep the game scoreless.
After a couple of quick innings by both teams, we saw the game’s first run in the sixth. Soler walked with two outs and then Yastrzemski hit an RBI triple deep into right field off the wall. The scoring play ended Arighetti’s day as his final stats were four hits and one run given up compared to six strikeouts. Seth Martinez came in for the former Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun pitcher and forced Estrada to hit a grounder for the final out of the inning.
The Astros responded in the seventh as Alvarez stretched his hit into right field to a leadoff triple. Jeremy Pena hit a sac fly to bring home Alvarez and tie the game. Meyers doubled past the third baseline and was the final hit allowed by left-handed starting pitcher Kyle Harrison. Sean Hjelle replaced the rookie and forced a couple of groundouts to the shortstop by Dubon and Abreu.
Tayler Scott came in to pitch in the seventh and eighth for the Astros and didn’t allow a hit while the Giants had Ryan Walker on the mound in the eighth and he gave up a hit to Victor Caratini but the game remained tied heading to the ninth inning.
San Fran brought in Camilo Doval as he walked Pena and gave up an infield single to Dubon. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch but Alvarez, Meyers, and Abreu struck out throughout the top of the frame.
Josh Hader closed out for the Astros and forced a foul and fly out by Austin Slater and Estrada. Wilmer Flores lined a single into left field then Schmitt popped out in center field to send the game to extras.
Houston broke it open in the 10th as Trey Cabbage reached on a bunt and advanced Joey Loperfido to third. Caratini’s sac fly gave the Astros the lead and Altuve followed that with a bunt of his own after Cabbage stole second. Bregman then hit an RBI single down the middle to give Houston the two-run advantage.
Raphael Montero made an appearance on the mound for the Stros and Wisely began the bottom of the inning with an RBI single into center field. Pena committed a fielding error to put runners on first and second then Bailey hit the RBI single to tie the game with no outs. Montero couldn’t field the hit ball by Conforto which loaded the bases yet Soler hit into a fielder’s choice that forced Ramos out at home. Slater however hit the walk-off single to bring in Bailey and give the Giants the 4-3 win.
BIG NUMBER: 2
It’s rare to see a triple in a Major League Baseball game. It’s rarer to see multiple in the same game but that’s what happened in Monday night’s matchup. Mike Yastrzemski hit the first one in the sixth, then Yordan Alvarez hit the other in the seventh.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Austin Slater
Slater came in late in the ballgame for Yastrzemski and delivered for the Giants with the walk-off single in the 10th inning to give San Francisco the 4-3 win over Houston on Monday night.
UP NEXT: Game two between the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants will be on Tuesday, June 11th. The first pitch at Oracle Park is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. with Astro Launch beginning at 8:15 p.m. It can all be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.