What is the story about?
Astros
2, Rangers 0
- Well, at least they didn’t get no hit.
- Still, an ignominious way to start the road trip, getting one-hit by the team with the worst pitching staff in baseball this year.
- Justin Foscue being the guy who broke up the no hitter was kind of funny.
- Justin Foscue then being picked off of first base — when there was a runner at second, to boot — was less funny.
- Ezequiel Duran was at the plate with a 2-0 count, Alejandro Osuna at second and Foscue at first when Foscue was picked off. That was one of the Rangers’ best scoring opportunities of the game.
- The best scoring opportunity came in the fifth. Jake Burger drew a one out walk, and then Alejandro Osuna lined a ball into the gap the other way that looked like it was going to be a double. Zach Dezenzo made a great diving catch on it, for the second out.
- Burger then stole second, and Kyle Higashioka reached on an E5 to put runners on the corners with two outs for Foscue, who grounded out to end the inning.
- Those were, really, the only meaningful scoring opportunities the Rangers had in the game.
- Per Statcast, the Rangers had an xBA in the game of .161, which meant that they would have been expected to have 4 hits in their 27 at bats, rather than 1 hit.
- Not that that would have been that much better.
- The offensive underperformance overshadowed a very solid outing from Jack Leiter, who went seven innings, with an Isaac Paredes homer into the Crawford Boxes accounting for the one run he gave up.
- Leiter only allowed three hits himself in the game, along with three walks. Interestingly, he used his fastball a little less often than usual, mixing in his sinker more than he has most of this year. I’m curious if this was a one off, or if we’ll see that more often going forward.
- Cole Winn allowed a run on a hit by pitch and two singles, but also struck out three batters in the inning, so we can all start up the “did he strike out the side?” debate again.
- Jack Leiter hit 97.9 mph with his fastball, averaging 96.6 mph. Cole Winn’s fastball maxed out at 96.9 mph.
- Evan Carter had a 103.0 mph fly out. Justin Foscue had a 102.4 mph ground out. Alejandro Osuna had a 101.0 mph fly out.
- Shake it off. Move on to the next one.
