Houston Astros: Offensive struggles were the team’s demise in Tampa Bay
By Dan Shedd
The Houston Astros could not solve the conundrum of excellence among the Tampa Bay pitching staff, dropping the series 3-1. What went down? Let’s look.
Since winning the first game of the series against the Tampa Bay this past Opening Day, the Houston Astros‘ offense continued to be nearly non-existent for the third straight game in Tampa Bay.
During today’s game against the Rays, Jake Marisnick hit an opposite-field home run which tied the game 1-1 in the third. He also popped an infield hit in the sixth.
Relive the oppo field Marisnick’s oppo field homer here.
That would be all the offense the Astros could muster while Tampa Bay’s pitching completely shut down the Houston Astros.
Tampa Bay starter Yonny Chirinos retired 20 out of 22 batters he faced during his seven innings of work for the Rays.
The Houston Astros core of Jose Altuve (0-for-4), Alex Bregman (0-for-3) George Springer (0-for-3) and Carlos Correa (0-for-3) — who made his season debut after being scratched the first three games because of a neck injury — did not fare well at the plate. No matter what the Houston Astros did, they could not get offensive momentum.
Since the Houston Astros 5-1 win over the Rays this past Saturday, Tampa Bay’s pitching staff
More from House of Houston
- Are you the 2021 FanSided Sports Fan of the Year?
- Houston Texans: 4 reasons Romeo Crennel is right coach right now
- Astros-Twins Wild Card Series: 5 things to know as MLB postseason begins
- Houston Texans: The Most Underrated Sports Drought Ever
- Houston Texans: J.J. Watt’s early case for NFL Hall of Fame
combined for 23 strikeouts, allowing just four earned runs and two homers. Those numbers encapsulate why the Houston Astros could not get much going.
Houston Astros star third baseman Alex Bregman gave MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart more detail on what he saw during the game from Chirinos and others.
Take a look at what Bregs said here.
The Houston Astros will face the Texas Rangers in the season-long battle for the Silver Boot tomorrow evening in a three-game set at Globe Life Park.
Brad Peacock will battle up against Drew Smyly with the first pitch scheduled to commence at 7:05 p.m. CDT. Peacock hopes to carry over his strong performance by carrying over his 10-2 record and 3.22 ERA last season when he takes the bump. Smyly makes his first appearance on the mound after missing two seasons recovering from Tommy John’s surgery.
Hopefully, the Houston Astros offense will be more productive being back home in Texas. As a matter of fact, Altuve thinks so and believes they will be able to get out of their slump tomorrow.
Check out Altuve’s thoughts here.
dark. Next. Astros: Four factors to help the team #TakeItBack
I agree with Altuve because we all know what this team is capable of. This team is too good to let a three-game slide affect them. Plus, it’s the start of a long season and anything can happen. That’s the beauty of baseball — there is a new opportunity every day to get better and improve.
Go Houston Astros and let’s #TakeItBack!