So much for the winning streak, it’s been halted at one. Kansas City 5 Houston 2.
It was another three hit night for Jeremy Pena. Unfortunately, there was little else. Over the course of two nights against the Royals, Pena has six of the Astros 12 total hits. Yikes.
Aside from the offensive woes, Astros pitching was choppy. The road was unpaved from the outset for Cristian Javier. The early innings served as a prelude of things to come. First inning, a pair of walks were issued to Carter Jensen and
Bobby Witt, 17 pitches thrown. The next frame, 18 pitches thrown, at one point featuring runners on the corners. Javier pulled a Houdini act, getting out unscathed early on, but it didn’t last. In the fourth, John Rave homered to right, scoring Michael Massey. By the time that inning was in the books, the pitch count was up to 66. Javier would depart in the 6th, giving way to Bryan King. Javier’s final stat line: IP 5.1, 5 hits allowed three walks with two runs and a pair of strikeouts.
In the 7th inning, the Astros finally generated a flicker of hope, giving 28,497 a brief moment to cheer. Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz hit back-to-back singles, but they’d be stranded. The Royals took full advantage, extending their lead on a solo shot by Michael Massey. It was Massey’s 12th of the year. Carter Jensen then broke it wide open with a 2-run RBI double which brought home Isaac Collins and Josh Rojas. De Los Santos was charged with all three of the runs in the 8th.
The Astros would finally get on the board on an Isaac Paredes sac fly in the bottom half of the 8th. Tatsuya Imai pitched a scoreless 9th, his first appearance in a week. Yainer Diaz launched his 12th homer of the season in the bottom of the frame, but that would be it.
Complicating matters, the Rangers were once again victorious. Both clubs are now deadlocked atop the A.L. West with identical marks of 76-76.
Odds & Ends
The last time the Astros won consecutive home games was back on September 2nd & 3rd vs. the White Sox.
Jeremy Pena challenged the very first pitch of the game and won; strike call being overturned.
After his impressive series last week verses the Phillies, Cam Smith is now 0-15 at the plate.
