The second half of the MLB season began on Friday for the Houston Astros as they welcomed the Baltimore Orioles for a three-game series. Baltimore entered the series with a four-game win streak while Houston lost three out of its last four.
Houston held onto the lead for the majority of the game before a late-game two-run shot by the Orioles gave the Stros the 3-2 loss. That dropped the team’s record to 47-52 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Astros took an early lead at the bottom of the first when Yordan Alvarez drove in Jeremy Pena with an RBI double into left field. Pena previously drew a walk against Orioles starting pitcher Dean Kremer to open the inning. Alvarez also had a chance to score after an Isaac Paredes single, but Jose Altuve hit into a double play for the final out.
Peter Lambert stood strong through the first couple of innings, not allowing a hit and striking out three Baltimore batters. It flipped at the top of the third when the Orioles tied the game. Coby Mayo led off with a center field single before advancing to third base on a pair of walks that loaded the bases. A third consecutive walk, this time for Pete Alonso, evened up the score.
Houston responded with another run at the bottom of the frame. Back-to-back singles by Pena and Alvarez put runners on first and second base. Paredes then hit a sacrifice fly into right field to score Pena and put the Astros ahead 2-1.
Baltimore made a pitching change to begin the bottom of the fifth, replacing Kremer with Anthony Nunez. Kremer finished the game with four hits, two runs, three walks, and five strikeouts in four innings on the mound. In his first inning of work, Nunez didn’t record a strikeout but also didn’t allow a hit.
The game was at a standstill until the eighth inning when the O’s took their first lead. Between the fourth and seventh, there were three total hits, two of which were by Baltimore in the fourth. Colton Cowser and Jackson Holliday singled but were left stranded when Gunnar Henderson went down swinging. The only hit by Houston in that time was a one-pitch single by Lucas Spence.
At the top of the eighth, Adley Rutschman hit a leadoff ground rule double and scored on a two-run home run by Taylor Ward. The scoring play was allowed by Astros relief pitcher Bryan King. Enyel De Los Santos was on the mound for Houston in the ninth, holding Baltimore’s offense in check, not allowing a hit.
The Astros had one more chance at the bottom of the frame, and the Orioles brought in Tyler Wells as their closer. Pena reached on an infield single with one out, and Paredes drew a walk. It came down to Walker to keep Houston’s chances alive. Wells struck out the Astros’ four-hole hitter, securing the 3-2 loss for Houston. The loss dropped the team’s record to 47-52.
BIG NUMBER: 10
Despite the loss, Astros starting pitcher Peter Lambert recorded a 10-strikeout performance in six innings. This was the first time all season Lambert reached the feat. His previous season-high strikeout count was eight, and he got to that number twice.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Taylor Ward
Ward recorded just one hit all game, but it was the biggest hit of the game as he hit a two-run home run at the top of the eighth, giving his team the lead, and it became the game-winning play as the Astros lost on Friday, 3-2. That moon shot was Ward’s seventh homer of the season.
UP NEXT: Game two between the Houston Astros and the Baltimore Orioles is scheduled for 3:10 PM on Saturday, July 18th. The action can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.