The Astros will host the Orioles for the first game of a three-game series after they sign new swnsational ace
This is the first time this year that Houston and the Orioles have met. There’s also a four-game set in Baltimore scheduled from August 22nd through the 25th. In all-time play, the Astros are 42-32 for a .568 winning percentage, their fourth-best mark against anyone and the highest winning percentage against an AL East team. The two clubs have never met in the postseason.
Last season, Houston and Baltimore split their six meetings with three wins each. Houston lost two-of-three in the latest of those, from September 18 through 20. They did come away with a 2-1 walkoff win in the finale. The Orioles scored a run off starter Cristian Javier in the first, and Houston trailed until tying the game in the eighth on a Jeremy Peña RBI-double. Mauricio Dubón drove Yainer Díaz home in the ninth for the win. Ryan Pressly (4-5, 3.77) got the win. Javier did end up striking out 11 batters in only five innings for no decision.
Houston just completed a three-game series against the MLB-worst Chicago White Sox, winning the final two games after dropping the opener. They took the finale on Thursday by a 5-3 final score. Yordan Alvarez (15) gave Houston a 1-0 lead in the first inning by driving one 439 feet into right-center. Starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti kept the Pale Hose scoreless until surrendering three runs in the fifth inning. Tayler Scott (3-2, 1.69) got the win in relief after spelling Arrighetti. In the seventh, Jose Altuve drove home Mauricio Dubón with an RBI-single, then scored the game-tying run on an Alvarez RBI-single. Alex Bregman scored the go-ahead run on an error, then Jeremy Peña drove a bases-loaded walk for an insurance run. Josh Hader struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 11th save.
The Orioles just completed a three-game set against the New York Yanees, winning the final two games of the series. In the final game, on Thursday, they demolished the Bombers by a 17-5 final score. Bryan Baker (1-0, 0.00) got the win in relief. Cedric Mullins (7), Anthony Santander (19) and Austin Hays (3) each went deep in the victory.
The Astros announced that they have placed right-hander Justin Verlander on the 15-day injured list due to neck discomfort, retroactive to June 16. Right-hander Nick Hernandez has been recalled from Triple-A as the corresponding move.
Verlander, 41, was supposed to start for the Astros on Saturday but was scratched due to the discomfort in his neck. The pitcher told Chandler Rome of The Athletic that the issue has been bothering him for weeks.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t come to pass. Earlier Tuesday, Rome relayed on X that manager Joe Espada told Matt Thomas of SportsTalk 790 that Verlander’s progress has been “slower than we expected.”
It seems that the decision has been made to let him rest up and get the issue taken care of. Verlander had a 3.26 earned run average on the year before his last two starts each resulted in four earned runs allowed over five innings, bumping him up to 3.95. Perhaps there’s good sense in giving him a quick breather to get healthy as opposed to continuing to send him out there when he’s not at his best.
