So much for sweeping the lowly Rockies.
So much for the return of Yordan
So much for Astros All-Star ace Hunter Brown against ?????….. (Tanner Gordon, pregame ERA 7.11)
The same team (should I say, much more wounded team) that won eight of nine games against the Phillies, Cubs, and Dodgers, and just came off winning three of four in Baltimore, fell flat tonight at home against baseball’s worst team.
Did the Astros really lose the game on four unearned runs in the third inning? Well, sort of. A one-out
single, an error at second sending the runner to third, which would have been the second out, a run-scoring groundout that should have been out three, an RBI single, and then a two-run homer by Hunter Goodman resulted in four unearned runs.
OK, four unearned runs, but let’s not let Brown off the hook. Sometimes, a great pitcher has to lift up the fielders and not follow fielding errors with homers.
A single, a hit by pitch, and a Mickey Moniak double in the fifth inning gave the Rockies a 6-1 lead. The Astros’ run came on a second-inning homer by Jesus Sanchez.
Brown’s final official line looks better than the real results:
6.2 IP, 2 ERs, 6 hits, 0 walks, 7 Ks
But, upon a closer look, Brown would have had to be perfect to win this game, fielding error or not. Against one of baseball’s worst pitching staffs, the Astros managed only six hits, but were given six free passes as well. They were 0-7 with runners in scoring position and left 11 lobsters.
So much for Yordan Alvarez revitalizing the Astros’ offense. At least, not tonight. As for Alvarez, he was 0-2, with two walks.
Fortunately, at the time of this writing, the Mariners are losing to the Padres, 7-6 in the sixth inning.
