The Houston Astros split a double-header against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday at Camden Yards in Baltimore. The Astros record now sits at 12-20 after losing two of three to the Orioles.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Game 1: Baltimore went with Chris Bassitt on the mound to start the first game of the double-header. He was able to navigate a clean first inning, putting up a zero.
Houston responded with Peter Lambert. He also looked sharp in the first inning, keeping the game scoreless through one frame.
The game would remain scoreless until the fourth. In that innings Jeremiah Jackson delivered an RBI double for the Orioles to take a 1-0 lead.
An inning later, Lambert was pulled one out through the fifth. Houston turned to Steven Okert out of the bullpen. Adley Rutschman won the at bat, however, and delivered a grand slam to make it 5-0 in favor of Baltimore.
Bassitt was excellent in this game, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing just one run. After Houston got on the board, Baltimore put the game away when Jackson hit a grand slam of his own.
The Orioles held on for a comfortable 10-3 win, despite being out-hit 12-6 by the Astros.
Game 2: Baltimore started former Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun Brandon Young in the second game. He did not have the early success that Bassitt enjoyed. The Astros got to him for five runs, the big blow coming on a three-run home run from Cam Smith to make it 5-0.
Lance McCullers Jr got the ball for Houston in this one. He was able to navigate a clean first inning to keep the five run lead in tact.
An inning later, Yordan Alvarez added his 12th home run of the young season, extending the lead to 6-0. The score stayed that way until the fourth.
In the fourth, Houston opened it up further, getting four runs in. Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz were among the RBI-producers, giving the Astros a 10-0 lead.
McCullers would give up three in the fourth, but he turned in a quality start, going six innings while allowing just those three runs.
The Astros did give up a few runs down the stretch, with another rough outing for Bryan Abreu. However, they held on for an 11-5 win to salvage a game in the series.
PLAYER OF THE DAY: Isaac Paredes
Isaac totaled five hits across the two games, driving in a run in the second. It’s been a slow start this year for the Astros’ utility man, so a day like this was a welcome sight.
BIG NUMBER: 21
Each offense took a turn getting to double digits on this day. The Orioles scored 10 to win game one, while the Astros grabbed 11 in game two. The winning teams combined for 21 runs across the two games.
UP NEXT: The Astros will head to Boston to face the Red Sox beginning tomorrow night at 6:10 PM.