After taking two out of three from the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road, the Houston Astros packed their bags and headed west for a weekend series against the Cleveland Guardians. Houston put up the first few runs midway through the game, and that’s all they would need as they took game one of the series in a 4-2 win, improving their record to 35-28.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
There was a limited amount of action on offense on either side through the first half of the game. Both lineups collected hits through each inning, but couldn’t put together any runs.
Houston recorded four hits through the first three innings. Leadoff hitter Jeremy Pena started two for two with singles to third base and center field, and Jake Meyers also began with a hit up the middle. Through that time, Cleveland’s starting pitcher, Logan Allen, recorded two strikeouts in the opening frame but pitched a scoreless performance through the first four innings.
The Guardians’ offense imitated the Astros, recording four hits through the first four innings. At the bottom of the first, Angel Martinez and Jose Ramirez singled into left field, but both tried stretching their hits into doubles and were called out at second base. Houston’s starting pitcher, Colton Gordon, also had a solid start on the mound, punching out four of Cleveland’s batters.
The Astros put up the first runs of the game in the fifth. Brendan Rodgers led off with a walk and was out at second base on a Jacob Melton fielder’s choice. Melton did the same when Pena also hit into a fielder’s choice to Cleveland’s shortstop, Gabriel Arias. Isaac Paredes walked to put runners on first and second, and then Jose Altuve hit an RBI single past third base to score Pena. Christian Walker followed that up with a single into right field that allowed Paredes and Altuve to get home and put Houston ahead 3-0 heading to the middle of the frame.
The Guardians responded at the bottom of the inning as Daniel Schneeman reached on an infield single to Gordon. Nolan Jones put runners on the corners with a single into center field, and Will Wilson singled out in left to cut it to a two-run game.
At the top of the sixth, Rodgers went yard, hitting a 396-foot solo home run over the center field wall to regain what was lost. The only issue was that David Fry matched that solo shot with one of his own at the bottom of the sixth, hitting the baseball 361 feet over the right field wall. Shawn Dubin was the pitcher on the bump for the Astros during that at-bat and would force a pop out and a ground out by Ramirez and Carlos Santana before being taken out for Bryan King. King faced Schneeman and got the flyout to end the inning with minimal damage.
Cleveland switched from Allen to Matt Festa in the seventh. Festa balked after giving up a single to Pena and walking Paredes, putting runners on second and third with no outs. That changed when Altuve flew out and Walker lined out to shortstop. Meyers also walked to load the bases, but all three runners were left stranded after Victor Caratini flew out into center.
The Astros went to their bullpen a couple more times in the closing innings, rolling with Bryan Abreu in the eighth and Josh Hader in the ninth. Neither of Houston’s relief pitchers allowed a hit and struck out a combined three batters, one of which was Arias for the final out.
That late-game clutch pitching helped secure the 4-2 win for the Astros, improving their record to 35-28. Houston is also now 13-16 on the road and has a two-game lead in the AL West.
BIG NUMBER: 10
Ever since their series loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Houston Astros have won 10 out of their last 14 games. Those four losses were against the Seattle Mariners, Rays (twice), and the Pittsburgh Pirates. That has also led to the Stros claiming first place in their division over the Mariners, Rangers, Angels, and Athletics.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Christian Walker
Walker went just 1/4 on the day, but that lone hit produced two runs for the Astros as they ended up winning 4-2 on Friday to earn their 35th win of the season. Jeremy Pena was also productive for Houston, going 3/5 on the day from the plate.
UP NEXT: Game two between the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians is set for Saturday, June 7th. First pitch from Progressive Field is set for 3:10, and the action can be heard on News Talk 98.5.