Playback. Astros Take Game Two in Anaheim 5-3
Verlander gets the shaky win.
By William Metzger(bilbos) Sep 15, 2024, 12:06am CDT 25 Comments / 25 New
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A’s vs. Astros Highlights
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The Astros are doing just enough against one of the worst teams in baseball to continue on their way towards yet another AL West title. Will we ever know what it is like to not have the Astros taking the pennant home?
Tonight the Astros won 5-3 for the second straight game on night’s when late inning heroics by the Mariner’s could have given them some relief from their enduring, torturous despair.
The Astros took an early lead with a run in the first thanks to Jose Altuve small ball. He bunt-singled to lead off the game, stole second, advanced on a fielders’ choice, and scored on a wild pitch. However the inning was a wasted opportunity, as the Astros stranded the bases loaded after Altuve’s run.
As the Angels took the plate in the first, flashbacks of recent Verlander fails came rushing into the minds of the collective Houston consciousness. He walked the first two batters, and without generous calls from the umpire, wouldn’t have had a single strike. However he escaped allowing only one run, and the Angels, like the Astros before them, stranded a runner on third.
The Angels took the lead in the fourth on an Eric Wagamon RBI double. Verlander held the Halos in the fifth, ending the game allowing two runs, four hits, two walks and only two Ks. He did manage nine swing and misses, compared to only four in his previous disastrous start. Verlander was saved by some fancy fielding, such as:
and:
Is Verlander playoff ready? Questions persist.
The Astros took the lead back in the fifth inning thanks to a mammoth Yordan Alvarez home run, scoring Altuve, who singled ahead of Yordan. The Astros added another run on a Victor Caratini RBI single, scoring Jeremy Pena.
Hector Neris and Kaleb Ort held the Angels scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings, but the Angels threatened to blow the game open in the eighth inning when Tay Scott walked two batters and hit a third with a pitch, retiring only one hitter.
Ryan Pressly came in to put out the fire and, as luck would have it, he gave up a single to Logan O’Hoppe that center fielder Jake Meyers dove for and missed. However, his quick recovery allowed him to throw out Nola Schanuel at home, preserving the Astros lead 4-3 with the tying run still on third. Pressly got Mickey Moniak to ground out for out three.
