Despite smacking the ball for the last three games in Camden Yards, the Houston Astros just couldn’t get it going in the fourth and final game of the series, losing 3-2 to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
Unfortunately for the Astros offence, they couldn’t put up the type of number they had in the previous three games of the series. That was because they were facing a red-hot Trevor Rogers on the mound who, after today, has thrown at least six innings of one-run or less ball in his last six starts.
Once Rogers was taken out, the Astros almost turned the game around, starting in the top of the eighth. After a leadoff single from Carlos Correa and back-to-back one-out singles from Christian Walker and Yeiner Diaz, the ladder of which came with a close play at second, Victor Caritini came on to pitch-hit with the bases juiced.
A Caritini sac-fly got one run back for the Astros, but it was all they were able to get across, leaving two men on and wasting their best opportunity to win this game.
The Astros fell behind early in this one, after a Gunner Henderson bomb in the top of the first put Baltimore up right away, but that lead didn’t last very long. Houston tied it up in the top of the third after a leadoff walk to Cam Smith and a steal put him in position to cross the plate on a Jeremy Peña single, tying the game at one.
After the O’s first run in the bottom of the first, they didn’t have another base runner reach until the sixth inning, with the next 15 being sat down in order. The first hitter for them to reach came on a two-out single from Henderson in the sixth.
After stealing second and third, he came around to score on another single, this time from Ryan Mountcastle, putting the O’s up 2-1 and knocking Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti out of the game. They added on another run in the seventh with a solo-shot from Luis Vázquez.
This lack of offence came on the back of the pitching of Arrighetti, who had arguably his best outing since his first one of the season. Despite leaving the game losing 2-1, he was able to not only keep the ball in the zone, but generate a ton of groundouts, with 10 of his 16 outs coming on the ground.
Spencer Arrighetti’s final line
5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 K, 97-67 TS-S
Following Arrighetti, new Astros pitcher John Rooney made his MLB debut, coming in with a man on first and two outs. After walking the first batter he faced as a big leaguer, Rooney got out of it with his first big-league strikeout, leaving two on base.
Rooney was the pitcher that was called up to replace AJ Blubaugh, who was sent down prior to today’s game and just a day after getting the win with four innings of work in game three.
Rooney came out for the next inning and allowed his first big-league run on his first big-league homerun, allowing a solo shot which ended up being the losing run for the Astros, losing 3-2.
After his inning and a third, the Astros went back into their pen for another debut, but this time from a veteran. Newly acquired Astro Craig Kimbel came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth for his first time as an Astro and gave them an inning of clean ball, helped by a strikem out- throwem out by Diaz behind the plate.
Thankfully for the Astros, they get the day off tomorrow as they travel back home to kick off a 10-game home stand. That starts on Tuesday at 7:10 against the Colorado Rockies.
