{"id":782600,"date":"2026-08-19T06:09:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T06:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/782600\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T06:09:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T06:09:14","slug":"houston-astros-offense-struggling-to-make-opposing-starters-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/782600\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Astros&#8217; offense struggling to make opposing starters work"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img alt=\"Jose Altuve actually is one of the few\u00a0Astros hitters in the midst of a good stretch, but he and the team were shut down by the Angels in Tuesday's series opener.\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jose Altuve actually is one of the few\u00a0Astros hitters in the midst of a good stretch, but he and the team were shut down by the Angels in Tuesday&#8217;s series opener.<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<\/p>\n<p>Taxing opposing starters is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Houston Astros<\/a> offensive tenet. Even if he limits damage, the thinking goes, getting into a team\u2019s bullpen can change the tenor of a game and have ripple effects throughout a series. Just five teams in the majors entered Tuesday with a higher OPS this season against starting pitching.<\/p>\n<p>The opener of a series against the Angels started auspiciously on that front. Two Astros reached base in the first inning against George Klassen, a right-hander making his fifth major-league start Tuesday night at Daikin Park. Klassen stranded them in a scoreless first, but he needed 20 pitches to navigate it.<\/p>\n<p>Promise vanished quickly. Klassen cruised through his next five innings on 48 pitches. He threw nine or fewer in five of them. Three of his previous four Angels starts had comprised four or fewer innings. He completed seven scoreless against the Astros, who did not muster a hit against Klassen after the first.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>The showing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-astros-la-angels-score-22392703.php\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">in a 3-1 loss<\/a> echoed a few recent ones for the Astros\u2019 offense against opposing starters. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-seattle-mariners-score-recap-22390511.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">In Sunday\u2019s loss to Seattle<\/a>, Bryan Woo worked six innings on 75 pitches. A night earlier, Emerson Hancock completed seven innings <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-seattle-mariners-score-recap-22389683.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">in a Mariners win<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Houston did get to George Kirby, its longtime nemesis, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-seattle-mariners-score-22388204.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">who allowed five runs and threw 99 pitches<\/a> in 4 \u2154 innings Friday. Yet two days before, in the finale of a series against the Giants, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-san-francisco-giants-score-22384910.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Adrian Houser threw six scoreless innings<\/a> against the Astros on 73 pitches.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve seen better\u201d efforts against opposing starters, manager Joe Espada said Tuesday night. \u201cBut I thought this kid (Klassen), the stuff was good. The fastball and slider were close enough to the zone where I saw why we were kind of swinging at some of those pitches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut we are best when we just get the starting pitcher out of the game. We\u2019ve got to make them work, we\u2019ve got to drive that pitch count up so we can actually dictate the game. We cannot let the pitcher dictate and we\u2019ve got to control the at-bats, we\u2019ve got to control the momentum of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>BATTERS<br \/>\nAVG<br \/>\nOBA<br \/>\nAB<br \/>\nR<br \/>\nH<br \/>\n2B<br \/>\n3B<br \/>\nHR<br \/>\nRBI<br \/>\nBB<br \/>\nSO<br \/>\nSB<br \/>\nCS<br \/>\nE<\/p>\n<p>Team Totals<br \/>\n.243<br \/>\n.318<br \/>\n4244<br \/>\n577<br \/>\n1030<br \/>\n183<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n169<br \/>\n550<br \/>\n421<br \/>\n1021<br \/>\n40<br \/>\n17<br \/>\n55<\/p>\n<p>Alvarez<br \/>\n.318<br \/>\n.431<br \/>\n450<br \/>\n82<br \/>\n143<br \/>\n25<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n36<br \/>\n88<br \/>\n86<br \/>\n94<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<\/p>\n<p>Pe\u00f1a<br \/>\n.284<br \/>\n.339<br \/>\n310<br \/>\n59<br \/>\n88<br \/>\n14<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n14<br \/>\n40<br \/>\n21<br \/>\n68<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n9<\/p>\n<p>Correa<br \/>\n.279<br \/>\n.369<br \/>\n122<br \/>\n22<br \/>\n34<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n16<br \/>\n18<br \/>\n26<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<\/p>\n<p>Delgado<br \/>\n.273<br \/>\n.314<br \/>\n33<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n9<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<\/p>\n<p>Paredes<br \/>\n.259<br \/>\n.352<br \/>\n436<br \/>\n47<br \/>\n113<br \/>\n21<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n16<br \/>\n67<br \/>\n48<br \/>\n69<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n6<\/p>\n<p>Allen<br \/>\n.259<br \/>\n.301<br \/>\n112<br \/>\n20<br \/>\n29<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n24<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n5<\/p>\n<p>Shewmake<br \/>\n.256<br \/>\n.272<br \/>\n78<br \/>\n10<br \/>\n20<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n9<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<\/p>\n<p>Diaz<br \/>\n.252<br \/>\n.280<br \/>\n234<br \/>\n25<br \/>\n59<br \/>\n9<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n28<br \/>\n9<br \/>\n38<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n2<\/p>\n<p>Altuve<br \/>\n.246<br \/>\n.311<br \/>\n386<br \/>\n56<br \/>\n95<br \/>\n15<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n36<br \/>\n35<br \/>\n86<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n5<\/p>\n<p>Walker<br \/>\n.232<br \/>\n.309<br \/>\n449<br \/>\n61<br \/>\n104<br \/>\n24<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n23<br \/>\n71<br \/>\n42<br \/>\n119<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<\/p>\n<p>Harris<br \/>\n.226<br \/>\n.286<br \/>\n31<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<\/p>\n<p>Smith<br \/>\n.223<br \/>\n.292<br \/>\n403<br \/>\n54<br \/>\n90<br \/>\n15<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n17<br \/>\n46<br \/>\n35<br \/>\n109<br \/>\n10<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n5<\/p>\n<p>Wade<br \/>\n.222<br \/>\n.351<br \/>\n81<br \/>\n11<br \/>\n18<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n15<br \/>\n16<br \/>\n20<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<\/p>\n<p>Trammell<br \/>\n.219<br \/>\n.308<br \/>\n178<br \/>\n26<br \/>\n39<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n20<br \/>\n19<br \/>\n65<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n2<\/p>\n<p>V\u00e1zquez<br \/>\n.216<br \/>\n.271<br \/>\n208<br \/>\n20<br \/>\n45<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n24<br \/>\n16<br \/>\n43<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<\/p>\n<p>Loperfido<br \/>\n.216<br \/>\n.314<br \/>\n102<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n22<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n12<br \/>\n14<br \/>\n31<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<\/p>\n<p>Meyers<br \/>\n.213<br \/>\n.268<br \/>\n141<br \/>\n15<br \/>\n30<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n11<br \/>\n10<br \/>\n31<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<\/p>\n<p>Dezenzo<br \/>\n.213<br \/>\n.280<br \/>\n75<br \/>\n11<br \/>\n16<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n31<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<\/p>\n<p>Matthews<br \/>\n.197<br \/>\n.250<br \/>\n208<br \/>\n23<br \/>\n41<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n22<br \/>\n15<br \/>\n71<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n1<\/p>\n<p>Price<br \/>\n.167<br \/>\n.231<br \/>\n12<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<\/p>\n<p>Spence<br \/>\n.162<br \/>\n.244<br \/>\n37<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n15<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<\/p>\n<p>Cole<br \/>\n.157<br \/>\n.189<br \/>\n51<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n21<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<\/p>\n<p>Johnson<br \/>\n.143<br \/>\n.294<br \/>\n14<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<\/p>\n<p>Whitcomb<br \/>\n.130<br \/>\n.167<br \/>\n23<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n11<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<\/p>\n<p>Varsho<br \/>\n.125<br \/>\n.222<br \/>\n48<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n12<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<\/p>\n<p>Salazar<br \/>\n.056<br \/>\n.227<br \/>\n18<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<\/p>\n<p>Vel\u00e1zquez<br \/>\n.000<br \/>\n.000<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-divider\">___<\/p>\n<p>PITCHERS<br \/>\nW<br \/>\nL<br \/>\nERA<br \/>\nG<br \/>\nGS<br \/>\nSV<br \/>\nIP<br \/>\nH<br \/>\nR<br \/>\nER<br \/>\nHR<br \/>\nBB<br \/>\nSO<\/p>\n<p>Team Totals<br \/>\n63<br \/>\n63<br \/>\n4.57<br \/>\n126<br \/>\n126<br \/>\n38<br \/>\n1118.1<br \/>\n1001<br \/>\n609<br \/>\n568<br \/>\n168<br \/>\n518<br \/>\n1098<\/p>\n<p>Meyers<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0.00<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<\/p>\n<p>Hader<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0.90<br \/>\n31<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n17<br \/>\n30<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n10<br \/>\n41<\/p>\n<p>Santa<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1.17<br \/>\n10<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n15.1<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n9<\/p>\n<p>VanWey<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1.50<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n5<\/p>\n<p>Okert<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n2.04<br \/>\n61<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n61.2<br \/>\n40<br \/>\n15<br \/>\n14<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n12<br \/>\n62<\/p>\n<p>Lambert<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n3.11<br \/>\n21<br \/>\n21<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n118.2<br \/>\n91<br \/>\n42<br \/>\n41<br \/>\n12<br \/>\n46<br \/>\n117<\/p>\n<p>Blubaugh<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n3.39<br \/>\n47<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n77<br \/>\n59<br \/>\n31<br \/>\n29<br \/>\n10<br \/>\n33<br \/>\n77<\/p>\n<p>Pearson<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n3.60<br \/>\n16<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n20<br \/>\n16<br \/>\n10<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n12<br \/>\n16<\/p>\n<p>Brown<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n3.67<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n68.2<br \/>\n49<br \/>\n30<br \/>\n28<br \/>\n9<br \/>\n40<br \/>\n72<\/p>\n<p>Sousa<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n3.86<br \/>\n17<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n14<br \/>\n14<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n16<\/p>\n<p>King<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n4.01<br \/>\n50<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n51.2<br \/>\n52<br \/>\n25<br \/>\n23<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n19<br \/>\n43<\/p>\n<p>De Los Santos<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n4.14<br \/>\n55<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n58.2<br \/>\n55<br \/>\n31<br \/>\n27<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n53<\/p>\n<p>Teng<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n4.35<br \/>\n25<br \/>\n10<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n68.1<br \/>\n62<br \/>\n37<br \/>\n33<br \/>\n10<br \/>\n30<br \/>\n67<\/p>\n<p>Abreu<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n4.40<br \/>\n48<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n45<br \/>\n32<br \/>\n24<br \/>\n22<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n33<br \/>\n57<\/p>\n<p>Ullola<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n4.50<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n9<\/p>\n<p>Arrighetti<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n4.60<br \/>\n17<br \/>\n17<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n88<br \/>\n68<br \/>\n47<br \/>\n45<br \/>\n12<br \/>\n50<br \/>\n87<\/p>\n<p>Wesneski<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n5.16<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n22.2<br \/>\n23<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n13<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n18<\/p>\n<p>Roa<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n5.19<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n8.2<br \/>\n10<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n6<\/p>\n<p>Imai<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n5.29<br \/>\n17<br \/>\n15<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n64.2<br \/>\n53<br \/>\n38<br \/>\n38<br \/>\n9<br \/>\n42<br \/>\n80<\/p>\n<p>Bolton<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n5.40<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n20<br \/>\n21<br \/>\n12<br \/>\n12<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n14<br \/>\n22<\/p>\n<p>Burrows<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n9<br \/>\n5.99<br \/>\n18<br \/>\n17<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n94.2<br \/>\n112<br \/>\n69<br \/>\n63<br \/>\n21<br \/>\n35<br \/>\n75<\/p>\n<p>Javier<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n6.44<br \/>\n11<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n36.1<br \/>\n44<br \/>\n26<br \/>\n26<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n17<br \/>\n30<\/p>\n<p>McCullers<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n6.86<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n39.1<br \/>\n38<br \/>\n32<br \/>\n30<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n22<br \/>\n43<\/p>\n<p>Murray<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n7.43<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n13.1<br \/>\n19<br \/>\n11<br \/>\n11<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n8<\/p>\n<p>Weiss<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n7.62<br \/>\n9<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n26<br \/>\n35<br \/>\n24<br \/>\n22<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n20<br \/>\n30<\/p>\n<p>Blanco<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n7.71<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n23.1<br \/>\n22<br \/>\n20<br \/>\n20<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n12<br \/>\n20<\/p>\n<p>France<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n8.10<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n6.2<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n5<br \/>\n4<\/p>\n<p>Salazar<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n9.00<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<\/p>\n<p>Alexander<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n9.33<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n2<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n18.1<br \/>\n21<br \/>\n19<br \/>\n19<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n8<br \/>\n14<\/p>\n<p>Gordon<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n11.57<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n1<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n9.1<br \/>\n21<br \/>\n12<br \/>\n12<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n11<\/p>\n<p>Mu\u00f1oz<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n15.75<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n0<br \/>\n4<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n7<br \/>\n3<br \/>\n6<br \/>\n6<\/p>\n<p>Doing that less has been one element of a mid-August dip for the Astros offense. Tuesday marked the seventh time in 13 games they have scored two or fewer runs. They are 5-8 in that stretch, emerging from a series-opening loss to the Angels with their AL West lead down to one game over Texas.<\/p>\n<p>Opposing starters have a 2.84 ERA against them in that span. They have faced several proven starters during it\u00a0\u2014 Toronto\u2019s Shane Bieber, San Diego\u2019s Michael King, Seattle\u2019s arms. They scored four runs off Robbie Ray <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-san-diego-padres-score-bullpen-22378729.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">in the left-hander\u2019s Padres debut<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In San Francisco, they saw two pitchers, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-san-francisco-giants-score-recap-22381547.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Blade Tidwell<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-san-francisco-giants-score-22383194.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Carson Whisenhunt<\/a>, making their fourth and 11th major-league starts, respectively. Each threw 5 \u2154 innings and allowed one run. Klassen had a 5.52 ERA in his first four starts for the Angels.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s baseball, things happen,\u201d shortstop Jeremy Pe\u00f1a said. \u201cAll we can control is our preparation going into the game and have a great plan going into the game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"eager\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros' Taylor Trammell (26) flips his bat after striking out during the seventh inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofct bgsct block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros&#8217; Taylor Trammell (26) flips his bat after striking out during the seventh inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros' Christian Walker reacts after striking out against the Los Angeles Angels during the seventh inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros&#8217; Christian Walker reacts after striking out against the Los Angeles Angels during the seventh inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher George Klassen throws against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher George Klassen throws against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros' Jeremy Pe\u00f1a walks back to the dugout after striking out against the Los Angeles Angels during the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros&#8217; Jeremy Pe\u00f1a walks back to the dugout after striking out against the Los Angeles Angels during the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros' Jeremy Pe\u00f1a (3) flips his bat after striking out as Los Angeles Angels catcher Tyler Heineman throws the ball back to the infield during the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros&#8217; Jeremy Pe\u00f1a (3) flips his bat after striking out as Los Angeles Angels catcher Tyler Heineman throws the ball back to the infield during the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Los Angeles Angels' Nolan Schanuel (18) scores as Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz stands in front of home plate during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles Angels&#8217; Nolan Schanuel (18) scores as Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz stands in front of home plate during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Los Angeles Angels' Zach Neto hits a RBI double against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles Angels&#8217; Zach Neto hits a RBI double against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Los Angeles Angels' Wade Meckler, bottom, steals second base as Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) reaches for the ball during the third inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles Angels&#8217; Wade Meckler, bottom, steals second base as Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) reaches for the ball during the third inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher George Klassen throws against the Houston Astros during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher George Klassen throws against the Houston Astros during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith catches a fly ball by Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith catches a fly ball by Los Angeles Angels&#8217; Mike Trout during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<img alt=\"Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-black mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David J. Phillip)<\/p>\n<p>David J. Phillip\/Associated Press<\/p>\n<p>Houston has won three of its past nine games. In two, it was down to its final strike before rallying against an opposing bullpen. In another, the Giants opened the door to a comeback with a cataclysmic defensive inning. Espada often praises his team\u2019s resilience, but relying on it nightly is a risky approach.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier offense would mitigate it. But the bottom line is the Astros\u2019 lineup is largely struggling. Over their past 13 games, they are averaging 3.8 runs with a .218 batting average and 13 home runs. Pe\u00f1a, their leadoff man and sparkplug, is 6-for-55 in that stretch. Yordan Alvarez is batting .213 with one home run.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s fair to start there,\u201d Espada said. \u201cWe need contributions from everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>That is inarguable. Isaac Paredes is batting .298 and Jose Altuve is hitting .357 across the Astros\u2019 last 13 games. Cam Smith, compiling maybe his best stretch of the season, is batting .333 with four home runs but slotted in the eighth spot in the order for the fifth time in seven games Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/sports\/astros\/article\/houston-trade-deadline-daulton-varsho-22345787.php\" data-link=\"native\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Trade addition Daulton Varsho<\/a>, who has the Astros\u2019 third-most plate appearances in their past 13 games, is batting .125 in that stretch. Christian Walker has a .178 average and Taylor Trammell a .121 mark. The Astros are hitting .355 with runners in scoring position in that span but have totaled six or fewer such at-bats in seven of 13 games, creating fewer chances on which to capitalize.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>They recorded one such at-bat Tuesday. In the first inning, Paredes worked a two-out walk and Altuve flared a single into right field. Klassen got Varsho to chase a slider in the dirt for strike three to end the inning. Klassen did not allow another runner beyond first base in his seven innings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought our at-bats got better towards the end of the game,\u201d Espada said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to give credit to Klassen. It\u2019s good stuff, he threw the ball really well. Our at-bats just got better towards the end. We could have walked a few more times. I thought that we could have done a better job just trying to get in better hitter\u2019s counts early in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>With Klassen at 86 pitches, the Angels went to their bullpen in the eighth. Houston promptly threatened. Smith crushed Jos\u00e9 Fermin\u2019s third pitch for a home run. Yainer Diaz lined a single to bring up the possible tying run. Fermin induced a fielder\u2019s choice grounder from\u00a0Pe\u00f1a.<\/p>\n<p>The Angels deployed right-hander Ryan Watson to face Alvarez, who got ahead 3-0 but took a full-count fastball for strike three. Watson retired Paredes on a fly out to end the inning, and Ben Joyce retired the Astros in order in the ninth, finalizing a loss in which they totaled 10 strikeouts and three hits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday was a tough day,\u201d Pe\u00f1a said. \u201cBut overall, I think the team\u2019s in good spirits, hitters are in good spirits. And yeah, show up tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jose Altuve actually is one of the few\u00a0Astros hitters in the midst of a good stretch, but he&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":782601,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2390],"tags":[291,5,1165,446,3223,774,56,3224,3222,4],"class_list":["post-782600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-angels","tag-angels","tag-baseball","tag-la","tag-la-angels","tag-laangels","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-angels","tag-losangeles","tag-losangelesangels","tag-mlb"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/117120687408835621","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/782601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}