The Houston Astros took game one of their week series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, winning on Monday 6-3. On Tuesday, Houston made a late rally, beating Arizona 3-1 to improve to 59-42 on the season. That win propelled Houston to a five-game lead in the AL West division standings ahead of Wednesday afternoon’s rubber match.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The early part of the game featured consistent hitting, but no runs were scored.
Through the first two innings, both teams recorded one hit per frame, including a throwing error by Arizona’s third baseman, Blaze Alexander. The way the play unfolded was Mauricio Dubon laid down a bunt down the third base line. Alexander misfired on the throw to first base, allowing Dubon to be safe at second with two outs. Dubon was then stranded after Cooper Hummel flew out in center field.
Houston threatened to score in the fourth as Christian Walker led off the inning with a single into right field and Yainer Diaz followed that up with a hit going the opposite way. Chas McCormick popped out in the infield, and both runners advanced on a groundout by Brice Matthews. Even with Walker and Diaz in scoring position and Dubon walking to load the bases, none of the Astros’ base runners made it home as Hummel also popped up in the infield, keeping the game scoreless heading to the bottom of the frame.
Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez stood strong through the first handful of innings. Through the first four, Valdez held Arizona’s offense in check, allowing just two hits while only walking Lourdes Gurriel Jr and striking out a pair of batters. That is until the next inning.
The Diamondbacks drew first blood at the bottom of the fifth. Randal Grichuk began with a double into center field and advanced to third on a bunt to Valdez by Geraldo Perdomo, putting runners on the corners. Alexander then hit a RBI groundout to score Grichuk for the game’s first run.
Arizona’s starting pitcher, Eduardo Rodriguez, lasted 6.1 innings as he gave up six hits, three walks, and punched out three Houston batters. He was then replaced by Kevin Ginkel, who closed out the inning by striking out Cam Smith and forcing Walker into a fly out in left field.
Valdez lasted through the seventh, finished with a final tally of seven hits, one run, one walk, and four K’s. Bryan Abreu came in relief starting in the eighth. Before that, Houston took their first lead of the game.
At the top of the eighth, Taylor Trammell pinch hit for McCormick and drew a walk after Diaz grounded out. Matthews then stepped up to the plate and delivered for Houston, hitting a two-run home run 396 feet over the left field wall. That shot came against Diamondbacks relief pitcher, Jake Woodford, giving the Astros the 2-1 advantage through eight innings.
Houston wasn’t done with the late game scoring, putting up another run in the ninth. The final frame began with a groundout by Smith and an infield single by Jose Altuve. Walker then struck out, and Diaz recorded a two-out hit to move Altuve into scoring position before Arizona made another pitching change, this time to Kyle Backhus. Victor Caratini was the first batter Backhus faced and smoked him with a pitch, loading the bases in the process. Altuve then scored on a wild pitch by Backhus that advanced the other two base runners. That put the Astros ahead by two heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Bryan King was Houston’s closer and did just enough. The 28-year-old recorded he save despite allowing three hits in the final frame. Those final three outs that included a strikeout against Alexander and a game-ending groundout double play by Jose Herrera secured the 3-1 victory for the Astros. That win improved their record to 59-42.
BIG NUMBER: 3
The last few nights have been big for Brice Matthews. In Monday’s game one, the Houston native hit a pair of home runs and then hit another in Tuesday’s game two, leading to six RBI in the series against the Diamondbacks. Before the series, Matthews played in just four games and had one through his first 12 at-bats.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Brice Matthews
Matthews only recorded one hit on the night, but it was the difference maker. The 23-year-old infielder hit a two-run homer in the eighth to help pull Houston past Arizona in a 3-1 ballgame. That win elevated the Astros to a 59-42 record going into Wednesday’s rubber match.
UP NEXT: Game three of the series between the Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks is set for Wednesday, July 23rd. First pitch from Chase Field is scheduled for 2:40, and the action can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.