The Houston Astros returned home to Minute Maid Park on Tuesday night and defeated the Miami Marlins 4-3. The game marked the first since Hurricane Beryl made its way through the Houston area on Monday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Before the game, it was announced that Lance McCullers Jr has been shut down for a few days, as he was not progressing back from injury the way the team wanted. That was a sour note, as McCullers has been working his way back for more than a year.
The game also happened as many in the Houston area are recovering from the impacts of the storm. The Astros created a $5 ticket promotion for this series to help those able to attend the game during the trying time.
Ronel Blanco started on the mound for Houston, and was rudely greeted. Jazz Chisholm Jr launched the fourth pitch of the game over the right field wall to make it 1-0 Marlins. One more hit was allowed, but Blanco got out of the inning after that.
Trevor Rogers opposed Blanco. He was greeted with a Jose Altuve leadoff double but was able to strand Jose at third to get out of the first inning unscathed.
Blanco was able to settle in after a rocky first. In fact, he retired the next eighteen batters. His dominance has been a theme throughout the first half of the Astros’ season, and that continued on Wednesday.
The Houston offense scratched across the tying run in the bottom of the second. A single and a walk brought up Chad McCormick. He delivered an RBI single to tie the game at one.
Blanco continued to cruise, but Rogers settled in as well. He worked 1-2-3 innings in the third and fourth innings. In the bottom of the fifth, Alex Bregman through with a run-scoring single to give Houston a 2-1 lead.
In the top of the seventh, the Marlins got their second run off of Blanco. It was another solo shot, this one by Jesus Sanchez to tie the game at two. However, Ronel finished the inning strong to complete seven innings of two-run ball.
The bottom half of the inning saw a big response from the Houston offense. Again it was Bregman, this time lifting a two-run shot to left to give his team the 4-2 lead.
Bryan Abreu entered to try to secure a hold in the eighth. He struggled in the inning, and Bryan De La Cruz brought home a run to make it 4-3. Abreu did escape the inning after that, the Astros clinging to a one-run lead.
In the ninth, Josh Hader entered for the Astros to close things down. He allowed a one-out walk but was able to secure the save and a 4-3 victory.
BIG NUMBER: 2
Ronel Blanco allowed just two runs in the victory. He continues to carry the rotation through their injury woes, and is one of the biggest All-Star snubs in the league.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Alex Bregman
Bregman had multiple big knocks in this game. His first was a run scoring single to give Houston the lead. Then, his two-run home run once again broke a tie in the late stages.
UP NEXT: Game two of the series between Houston and Miami will be tomorrow night, July 10th at 7:10 PM inside Minute Maid Park. The game can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.