The Astros lost another close one on Saturday afternoon falling to the Toronto Blue Jays 2-3 as a pitcher’s duel unfolded inside Minute Maid Park. Astros starter Jose Urquidy tossed a solid 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs, one of them on a lead off homer by ex-Astro George Springer. His opposer, Alek Manoah, had a similar fate, turning in a quality start allowing two runs over six innings of work.
Not to take credit away from the Toronto pitching staff, as they have performed quite well in this series, but the biggest factor in this game were the struggles of the Houston offense. If you put aside the first inning homer by Alex Bregman and the performances of Michael Brantley and Kyle Tucker, the offense struggled mightily, turning in a whopping one hit in twenty-four at bats. Minus an eleven-run output in Anaheim on opening weekend, this has seemed to be the theme for the Astros hitters this season.
So far this season the bullpen has performed quite well, but for the second straight game an Astros reliever has given up the lead beyond the 7th inning. If you take last night’s game out of the equation, the addition of Hector Neris has proved to be beneficial for the back end of the Houston bullpen, and with Ryan Pressly coming off the IL soon, the bullpen will be the least of the Astros worries barring any injuries.
If the Astros pitching staff can continue their current path, and the offense can find its grove soon (Should be getting a boost with second baseman Jose Altuve coming off the IL on the next road trip) then there will be nothing to worry about in the future, as they look to continue their playoff streak in the 2022 season.
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