Pain returns
Kansas City defies its place in standings to reprise domination of last week’s series
Following the Astros’ 3-1 series loss last week to the Royals, there were signs that maybe they had left their troubles behind in Kansas City. The offense offered hope by returning home and exploding for 27 runs combined in wins Friday and Saturday against the Mariners.
The Royals came to town for a rematch and the Astros had a chance to exact revenge. Instead, the offense slumped again, the bullpen withered and the Astros were royally thrashed in a 7-1 loss on Monday night at Minute Maid Park.
Daniel Lynch stumped the Astros for the second time in a week, striking out five batters while allowing six hits and one walk in five innings of one-run ball. He carved up the lineup with his slider, producing six whiffs with the pitch.
More prominently, the Astros handicapped themselves
by hitting 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They stranded 10 men, wasted a bases-loaded opportunity in the fifth inning and came up empty with two on and no outs in the sixth inning.
Yuli Gurriel was the lone success as he accounted for three of Houston’s seven hits, bringing his totals for the current homestand to 9-for-17, with two doubles, one home run and three RBIs. Yordan Alvarez had a particularly brutal night at the plate, stranding eight total runners through four at-bats and three times failing to deliver an RBI with two outs. Michael Brantley went 0-for-5 and stranded five men.
Houston starter Zack Greinke somewhat labored through six innings on 92 pitches but emerged with two earned runs allowed on six hits, one home run, one walk and two strikeouts. Two of his successors, Yimi Garcia and Phil Maton, allowed five more runs in the seventh and eighth innings to put the game out of reach.
Lynch retired six of the seven batters he faced on 23 pitches through the first two innings while allowing only a one-out single, though Carlos Correa’s second-inning strikeout was called on a dubious inside pitch.
Greinke allowed back-to-back one-out singles in the opening frame before Correa made a diving stop on a two-out ground ball to save a run and get the ball to Gurriel for the third out. Before Correa reached the dugout, Greinke greeted his shortstop with a smile and a high-five.
In the top of the second inning, Ryan O’Hearn whacked a 3-0 changeup 322 feet off the left-field wall, evading the grasp of Taylor Jones, for a one-out double. Emmanuel Rivera shot a two-out RBI double down the left-field line to put Kansas City on the board first. The following inning, Salvador Perez connected with a high fastball and sent it into the Crawford Boxes for his 33rd home run of the season and a 2-0 lead.
The Astros added what would be their only run in the third. Martín Maldonado followed Jones’ leadoff single with a walk to put two on with no outs. Jose Altuve fouled off back-to-back pitches before he struck out swinging at a high outside corner changeup. Brantley reached on a fielder’s choice grounder that erased Maldonado at second base. Gurriel halved the Royals’ lead with a twoout RBI double on a line drive to left field, scoring Jones.
Alvarez lined out to strand two in scoring position. It was just the beginning of Houston’s hardships.
Correa’s fourth-inning leadoff single was erased when Aledmys Díaz flied into a double play assisted by Royals left fielder Michael A. Taylor. Whit Merrifield’s tag of Correa at second base was close enough to warrant a challenge, but no such call came from the Astros dugout. It did not matter as Jake Meyers struck out to conclude a nine-pitch inning for Lynch.
The Astros managed to load the bases in the fifth inning to no avail. Maldonado drew his second walk of the game and Altuve delivered a double just fair down the thirdbase line with one out. After Brantley was retired on a groundout, Gurriel walked to load the bases.
Alvarez grounded out into the shift, and the Royals walked away unscathed.
The Royals appeared to gift the Astros another chance in the sixth when Correa reached on a throwing error by third baseman Emmanuel Rivera. Díaz dropped a single into shallow center field to put two on with no outs and bring Lynch’s night to a halt.
Domingo Tapia entered and struck out Meyers before Jones hit into a double play, again underscoring the type of night the Astros were having.
Greinke retired six of the last eight batters he faced before he was replaced by Garcia to begin the seventh inning. The former Marlins closer, acquired by the Astros at the trade deadline, allowed the first three batters he faced to reach. Garcia issued a walk, a single and an RBI double before he procured his first out with a strikeout of Nicky Lopez. Garcia’s throwing error on Perez’s ground ball, however, allowed another Royals run to score. It was only a small comfort that Maldonado was able to get the ball to Altuve for a putout
at second base, which was only awarded after a review. Lefty Blake Taylor entered with a runner on third base and got Andrew Benintendi to line out to center field.
In the bottom of the inning, the Astros put two on with two outs thanks to Altuve’s walk and Gurriel’s single, but Alvarez struck out swinging against Royals middle reliever Richard Lovelady.
Taylor returned to the mound for Houston in the eighth inning and gave up a leadoff single, which turned into a runner on second after a wild pitch. Taylor exited with one out, replaced by Maton. Kansas City pinch-hitter Hanser Alberto sliced a single into left field, and Jones fired a throw home in time to cut down a run at the plate, but Houston could not stymie the flood of runs that followed.
Maton surrendered a walk, a one-run single and a two-run triple before the inning was over. The ninth inning played out as a formality to the Astros’ hapless and joyless evening.