Bullpen holds a slim lead after Victor Caratini’s grand salami
The Astros attacked the Rockies with an early bombast but barely managed to hold on as Colorado inched closer but eventually fell short, 6-5. It was another win for an Astros team forced to use Quad-A pitchers while they wait for their real staff to return to health.
The Rockies scored in the first inning on a Hunter Goodman home run. But the Astros answered in the second on singles by Cam Smith, Victor Caratini, and Christian Walker.
In the Rockies’ second inning, Astros starter Colton Gordon came out unscathed, stranding runners on second and third. But in the third, the Astros broke out, chasing Rockies starter Chase Dollander, scoring five runs. The big blow was Victor Caratini’s grand slam, the third of his career, scoring Jake Meyers, Jose Altuve, and Cam Smith.
CARATINI GRAND SLAM!#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/Rtrlwz9dfo
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 2, 2025
But the Rockies nibbled their way into striking distance, scoring a run each in innings three, four, and five. It could have been worse. In the fifth inning, Jake Meyers grabbed a ball off the fence from a hit by Kyle Farmer that was apparently caught in the air. The baserunner on first thought it was a flyout and froze, getting forced out at second. So instead of a double, Farmer got a fielder’s choice on a ball off the center field wall.
It was a disappointing night for Colton Gordon, who came into the game with a sub-4 ERA. He went 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits and two walks. Gordon had only allowed three unintentional walks in over forty innings before tonight. He missed the win by one out but did leave with the Astros ahead 6-4. Steven Okert came in to stop the Rockies’ threat.
Following Gordon’s departure, Okert, Bennett Sousa, Bryan King, and Bryan Abreu held the Rockies scoreless, Abreu continuing his recent dominance, striking out the side.
Josh Hader allowed the Rockies to make it even closer, giving up another homer to Goodman. It was the fourth homer surrendered by Hader in his last eleven appearances, but he still earned his 24th save with no blown saves. Let’s hope we are not seeing a return to the home run bug that so plagued Hader last year.