The bats bailed out the pitching staff for a nice change of pace.
For the first half of the season, the Astros’ best attribute was their run prevention capabilities. Only the Rangers (290) allowed fewer earned runs than Houston (308) through July 6 when the latter swept the Dodgers in Los Angeles. With a lineup in the middle of the pack scoring runs, that pitching staff was a key reason why this club was able to ascend the standings. Alas, that same staff has noticeably regressed, allowing the fifth-most earned runs (183) since July 7. The lineup, in the meantime, has also worsened, scoring only 143 runs entering Friday. Only three teams have scored fewer than the Astros, again, since July 7.
To be honest, I am not sure what to expect from the team moving forward. The pitching staff experienced yet another injury, this time to Bennett Sousa, who was placed on the IL with left elbow inflammation. That’s not great, y’all. Dana Brown and the front office signed veteran closer Craig Kimbrel to help fill a void in the bullpen, which has very little depth at the moment. I mean, Shawn Dubin is still on the staff when he shouldn’t be at the moment. But is Kimbrel, who has toiled in the minors for all but one inning this season, the answer? Doubtful, but his swing-and-miss tendencies do make him worthy of a flier on this roster. On the starting side, Jason Alexander has been the team’s best starter in recent weeks, with both Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez having rough stretches. Who knows what you’ll get from Lance McCullers Jr. and Spencer Arrighetti right now? To end my rambling, this staff needs the lineup to help pick up the slack, or, you know, return the favor.
Easier said than done, though. The bats frankly failed miserably at home against the Orioles and on the road in Detroit. I’ll give them a small pass for the last game of that Tigers series, as Valdez allowed five runs before recording one out. But, overall, the bats have had a challenging time scoring runs, before and after the trade deadline. Friday, however, provided a blueprint for how one could expect the lineup to pick up the slack.
Jeremy Peña, for as improbable as it sounded even a year ago, is the catalyst for this offense. The Astros are 21-12 in games when he has two or more hits and 9-4 when he hits at least one home run. While he isn’t the sole reason why the team wins, he also improves his chances when he connects.
Overall, the lineup had a fantastic day at the plate, not only Peña. Christian Walker had his own three-run dinger in the fifth inning. Jose Altuve and Ramón Urías each had a pair of hits. Carlos Correa scored a run. Victor Caratini knocked in two in a pinch-hit appearance. For a lineup that fell flat on its face against this same Orioles staff back in Houston, in addition to the Tigers series, these past two games have provided hope. How much hope? Just enough, at least for tonight.
The pitching staff, on the other hand, didn’t have its best day. Lance McCullers Jr. had his velocity coming in a little bit higher than his season average, striking out four, but his control still isn’t great. It never really was, but he could at least miss bats in the past. This version of McCullers, however, cannot buy many swing-and-misses nowadays, racking only nine whiffs on 35 swings in only four innings, allowing three earned runs and walking five. His slider looked particularly effective, but opposing hitters aren’t biting on the curveball. His sinker needs some work if he wants to become a more reliable option in the rotation.
The bullpen, well, wasn’t much better. Shawn Dubin probably shouldn’t be pitching at the moment, as he continues to pitch poorly since his return from the IL. His velocity remains down across the board, and the right-hander has now allowed at least two runs in four of his last five appearances. Kaleb Ort and Enyel De Los Santos both allowed a run, too. Only Steven Okert — in one-third of an inning — and Bryan Abreu didn’t allow a run. Thankfully, with the lineup scoring ten, the leaky bullpen became a moot point for Friday. But their continued struggles only demonstrate why Kimbrel was brought in, even if his relatively subpar control counters his swing-and-miss stuff.
But a win is a win. Depending on the outcome of the Mariners’ game against the A’s, the Astros may maintain a two-game lead for the AL West lead or see it increase to three games. Joe Espada will send out Cristian Javier to start on Saturday, with the Orioles countering with Dean Kremer.