Astros Carpet-Bomb Athletics, 13-3

Jason Alexander is the latest “next-man-up” to pitch lights out.

How were the pyramids built?

Why have so many vessels disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle?

Where did the Lost City of Atlantis disappear?

How do the Astros keep producing quality starting pitchers from the dregs of baseball?

The entire 2022 World Series Champion rotation. Last year’s Ronel Blanco. And this year, Ryan Gusto, Colton Gordon, and Brandon Walter.

Tonight, introducing the Astros’ version of Jason Alexander, the 32-year-old career minor leaguer with 77 major league innings pitched and a career 6.35 ERA. Tonight, Alexander did not give up a hit until the fifth inning, eventually going six innings, allowing only two earned runs on three hits. He had a shutout going into the seventh inning. He earned the win against the last-place team that dropped him earlier this year.

It might have been an ok time for a bad start. Because the Astros’ bats carpet bombed the Athletics with five homers, two by Cam Smith, who had a coming-out party tonight.

The Astros opened the scoring in the first inning with some of their customary two-out magic when Jake Meyers singled home Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes to give the Stros a 2-0 lead they would not relinquish.

The Astros added another run in the second on a Cam Smith homer. Smith homered again in fourth, followed immediately by a dinger by Mauricio Dubon. It was Smith’s fourth and fifth of the year, and his first since April 18th, when he also hit two homers.

Athletics starter lefty J.P Sears didn’t make it out of the fourth inning, allowing five runs in 3.2 innings pitched.

The bombast continued in the fifth inning as Christian Walker joined the home run parade, hitting in Yainer Diaz with his 10th of the year. Later that inning, again with two outs, Isaac Paredes knocked in Smith and Dubon, making the score 9-0.

New Astro Cooper Hummel added his own bunker-buster, blasting a two-run homer in the seventh inning. The Astros added their final two runs in the eighth, a Cam Smith double the key hit.

This was a career day for Smith, who was 4-5, just a triple short of the cycle with two homers and three RBI. This time last year, Smith was just beginning his professional career in the Cubs’ lower minors.

The Astros do it again with the Athletics again tomorrow, same bat-time, same bat-station. Frmaber Valdez goes for the Stros.

Box score HERE.