For a second time this season, an NL Central opponent has been a massive pain for Lance McCullers Jr. and the Astros. This time, it was the Cubs, like the Reds before them, to hang a crooked number on the right-hander in one inning en route to a blowout win over Houston.
It was clear from the start of this game that McCullers didn’t have the best control. He had thrown twelve consecutive balls at one point in the first inning, throwing only nine strikes total. While he did eventually maneuver around a bases-loaded jam, allowing only one run, the early results weren’t promising. However, McCullers rebounded in the second and third innings, retiring all six batters he faced. The hope was that he stabilized and the Astros could capitalize.
The lineup did as Cam Smith’s two-run blast gave Houston a (brief) 2-1 lead. Then it all unraveled in the fourth inning, with the Cubs scoring seven runs, with the dagger being Kyle Tucker’s three-run home run. I won’t share that highlight here.
Now faced with an 8-2 deficit, and McCullers lasting only 3 1⁄3 lackluster innings, it became clear that the Astros would need to prioritize preserving the bullpen as much as possible. While Steven Okert would relieve McCullers in the fourth, Joe Espada turned to Ryan Gusto and Jordan Weems to pitch the remaining five innings. Chicago would eventually score four total runs off Gusto to drive their run total to twelve. Isaac Paredes would hit a home run of his own to make it a 12-3 game and ultimately the final score.
So, that game was decidedly not fun, but this remains a 4-1 homestand. That’s great! Framber Valdez gets the nod Sunday in the rubber game opposite Jameson Taillon, with the hope of a 5-1 homestand against two of the top four teams in the NL still possible.