I don’t have any fuzzy, warm feelings about this team at the moment.
Also, does anyone want to win this division, because I am starting to wonder.
Needless to say, even with trade reinforcements and the return of Yordan Alvarez, the Astros are desperately missing the presence of Isaac Paredes. Since Paredes’ hamstring injury on July 19, there isn’t a team in baseball averaging fewer runs per game than Houston’s 3.91 mark. His ability to extend plate appearances is a sorely missed aspect in the middle
of a group of hitters failing to gain much traction at the moment.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a surprise to see an offense that has struggled to score runs in recent months continue to do so against the Rangers on Friday night. Three runs — Victor Caratini’s RBI single in the second and Carlos Correa’s two-run home run in the eighth — in 12 innings didn’t cut it. And it won’t in most games.
All things considered, though, the pitching staff did relatively well, even if Texas is down multiple hitters at the moment. Colton Gordon wasn’t that effective, yet he held his own, allowing three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. But the bullpen leading up to the 12th inning pitched quite well, with AJ Blubaugh, Bryan King, Bryan Abreu, Craig Kimbrel, and Steven Okert all keeping the Rangers off the scoreboard in those innings. Lance McCullers Jr., though, couldn’t locate, well, anything. Wyatt Langford drew a walk with no outs, and Dustin Harris’ RBI double clinched the win for the in-state rival.
Ugh.
In any case, the Mariners lost their game against the Braves, and the Astros maintain a 3 1/2 game lead in the AL West. The Rangers, however, only trail Houston by four games for the division lead, and are only 1/2 game behind Seattle for the final Wild Card spot.
