Once again, if the pitching is good, the Astros are good. Last night was just another example to prove that point.
The Houston Astros were looking to bounce back last night in Minnesota against the Twins, and that is what they did. Final score 2-1. The Twins found themselves in scoring position in the 8th and 9th, but the Astros held things together and took the game. Even with Buxton at the plate in the 9th, who is dangerous when up to bat, the Astros got the final out they needed to secure the win.
This wasn't a flashy win by any means, but it's a win, and the Astros are hurting for those. The only two runs they scored were in the first inning. Jeremy Peña, who had been on the injured list since April 13th with a grade 1 hamstring strain, had his first hit since coming off the IL. Peña had a single that was followed up by a fifth homer of the season from Isaac Paredes, who sent it all the way to the second deck.
It was the first two runs scored against Zebby Matthews this year, who had thrown seven straight shutout innings in his first start. Those two runs would be all the Astros needed.
From then on, it was just about holding off the Twins, and Jason Alexander made that happen. Once the pitching starts to fall apart, the whole team unravels, but when the pitcher maintains command, the team has a much easier time staying sharp.
Alexander had an outstanding performance yesterday in Minnesota. He pitched 6 scoreless innings with four strikeouts, only giving up four hits and one walk. The kind of solid performance the Astros need on the mound to maintain control of the game.
Instead of letting the series get away from them, Houston now has a chance to win it. After a brutal start to the season, the Astros actually have a chance to take two series back-to-back. They are coming off a series win against the Texas Rangers, taking two out of three, and have a shot to do it again. A back-to-back series win is the exact kind of moment the Astros need to take back control of the season before it slips away altogether.
The injury list was already growing faster than they could handle, and now they are down two veteran players. Carlos Correa is out for the season, and Jose Altuve is out for an unknown amount of time. Just when they started getting some players back from the IL, like Jeremy Peña, Tatsuya Imai, and Jake Meyers, they lose two more key components.
Even so, the Astros have shown they can still secure a win even when a large number of their key players are out. Today's game could be the upswing this team needs.
