Cesar Salazar ….who?…. Leads Astros offense.
In the Game Thread introduction, I suggested that if Hunter Brown maintained the progress he has shown in the previous five starts, the Astros might eke out a win against White Sox ace Cooper Crochet. Despite giving away crucial outs due to baserunning errors, that’s exactly what happened.
Hunter Brown had yet another way-more-than-quality start, mowing down the White Sox for seven innings, scattering seven hits with no walks and six Ks. The only damage was a solo homer by Andrew Benintendi in the fourth inning. Brown’s ERA took another precipitous drop, going from an even 5.00 to 4.72 in one game. This was his sixth straight quality start. During that span, he has pitched 37 innings with 41 Ks, only eight walks and seven earned runs. It’s a far cry from April 11, when he allowed nine runs in the first inning.
The Astros won with small ball, scoring one run each in innings three, four, six, and eight. Every starter but one had at least one hit, 12 total, but no home runs in a lineup minus Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez.
Cesar Salazar, subbing for Victor Caratini, who got injured sliding for an out at home in the third inning, was 2-2 with a perfect sacrifice bunt in the eighth inning. Salazar led the team with two RBI.
The eighth inning epitomized the Astros offensive night. Jake Meyers led off with his second double of the night, Salazar bunted him to third, and Chas McCormick plated Meyers with a sac fly to center.
Salazar singles scored runs in the fourth and sixth innings as well.
An Astros scoring threat was short-circuited in the fifth inning when Mauricio Dubon tried to steal third base prematurely and was easily picked off at third by the pitcher.
The bullpen finally functioned as written on the drawing board. Jose Abreu, Ryan Pressly, and Josh Hader shut down the Sox in innings seven through nine respectively. (although Hader gave up some long outs)
Tomorrow the Astros go for the obligatory series win in an early afternoon game, 1:10 CT. Which Spencer Arrighetti will show up?