American League triple-crown contender Yordan Alvarez is out of the Houston Astros' lineup for Friday due to a sore right ankle.
Alvarez twisted his ankle while running the bases in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. He went 0-for-3 with 3 strikeouts against Phillies starter Zack Wheeler.
But Alvarez reached base in the eighth inning on an intentional walk from José Alvarado. He advanced to third base on a Jose Altuve double, but stumbled over the bag and was checked out by trainers.
Alvarez stayed in the game, but did not have to run on a Daulton Varsho pop-up. As the designated hitter, he didn't have to take the field in the bottom of the inning.
Astros manager Joe Espada said no imaging was necessary for Alvarez's ankle, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. He did some hitting earlier in the day and could be available to pinch-hit.

#ankle #Phillies #inning

A sputtering lineup stirred in the eighth inning. Jose Altuve struck a one-out double, putting him on the cusp of a career milestone. Christian Walker flared a single into shallow left field. LaMonte Wade Jr. did the same, driving in Altuve and paring a deficit to one run.
The current Houston Astros offense can make that seem sizable. The additional hit it required did not appear. Jonathan Loáisiga got Daulton Varsho to wave at a third-strike changeup. Taylor Trammell, the second pinch-hitter of the inning, popped out to end it.
With a 3-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Astros dropped the deciding game of their series at Daikin Park and concluded a 4-3 homestand with consecutive defeats. They went 8-5 over a 13-game stretch with no off-day, emerging from it with a 73-71 record.
Houston scored three or fewer runs in eight of 13 games during that stretch. Its offense entered Sunday averaging 3.9 runs over its past 30 games, scoring the fifth-fewest runs in the majors in that stretch. Its .220 average was the sport's lowest in that span and its .368 slugging percentage the sixth-lowest.
Sunday, the Astros took three at-bats with a man in scoring position in the first seven innings and went hitless in them. Arizona starter Eduardo Rodriguez allowed one run in six innings on a first-inning home run by Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez also popped out with two runners on base to end the seventh.

#astros #runs #altuve #offense

The Diamondbacks came into the game looking for a series win, and with a little bit of luck, putting some more ***** e between their competition for the final NL Wild Card spot. Having Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound was a point in their favor, but the offense still RVSP'd maybe when invited to the game.
The Diamondbacks were quiet in the top of the first, with the only baserunner being a Geraldo Perdomo hit by pitch, and that allowed the Astros to strike first. E-Rod got Jeremy Pena to ground out, but Yordan Alvarez absolutely clobbered one for a solo home run. That was the first indication that Rodriguez didn't have his best stuff today, but the next few batters hammered that home, even if there wasn't much damage done. He walked both Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker, but alternated those walks with a line out from Jose Altuve and got out of the jam with a Nelson Velasquez strike out. 0-1 Astros
This, of course, did raise some concerns amongst the faithful about the early need to score more than one run. That's been a challenge for the Diamondbacks, last night's four run outbreak aside. The offense decided to do some to ***** uage those fears, but did not manage to score multiple runs right away. Corbin Carroll started off the second inning with a double, advanced on a sac bunt from Tommy Troy, and then scored on a sac fly from James McCann. Illdemaro Vargas tried to keep things going with a two out single, but Lawler was unable to step up and ended the inning with a line out to third. Tied 1-1
Rodriguez issues with command continued right away in the bottom of the second, walking Dalton Varsho. Never a good idea to walk someone like him, as he showed when he stole second to get into scoring position two outs later. Too late for it to matter, though, as Jeremy Pena only saw three pitches and flew out to end the inning.
The third inning was… something. Perdomo singled to lead off the inning, bringing Ketel Marte to the plate. Marte got an 86 MPH changeup down and away and turned it around for what looked like an easy single. The only with that is the ball also acted as a heat seeking missel straight to Perdomo's helmet. He hit the ground immediately and quickly found himself surrounded by trainers from both teams. Eventually he left under his own power to a nice ovation from the Houston crowd, as one does.

#astros

In the penultimate game of playing 13 straight days, a shorthanded Houston Astros bullpen could not protect a lead. A chance to pad their division lead Saturday slipped away as a result.
Gabriel Moreno gave the Arizona Diamondbacks a go-ahead single in the 10th inning. The Astros went scoreless after the fifth, falling 4-3 in the middle game of a series at Daikin Park.
Houston lost for just the fourth time in 58 games this season when leading after six innings. It carried a 3-1 lead into the seventh. Lars Nootbaar halved the lead with an RBI double. Ketel Marte erased it with his 22nd home run in the eighth.
Jose Altuve was stranded after a one-out double in the bottom of the eighth. Josh Hader entered a tied game in the ninth and retired the side with 10 pitches. After the Astros went quietly in their half, Hader did not return for a second inning. He has worked multiple innings twice in 40 outings this season.
Bryan King drew the **** ignment, the left-hander's first outing since being recalled from Triple-A. Moreno served a one-out single to score Arizona's extra-innings runner. King allowed no further damage.

#innings #houston #moreno #hader

The good thing about this week's series in the land of the Crawford Boxes and the choo-choo is that both Sean Burke and Davis Martin pitched extremely well, a big turnaround from their recent starts and a good sign for the stretch run. The bad thing — well, besides nearly the entire offense — is that Luis Castillo once again demonstrated that while Chris Getz may have had a very nice offseason, he had a miserable trade deadline.
Castillo started out looking good, striking out Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez. He then walked Isaac Paredes on 10 pitches and threw José Altuve a fastball that would have been a strike on Aaron Judge but was nose-high on Altuve. Altuve still sent it into the Crawford Boxes to make it 2-0 Astros.
The lead didn't last long. Braden Montgomery singled off Hunter Brown to lead off the second, and Colson Montgomery followed with a routine ground ball to second. Peña blew the relay, though, and Chase Meidroth followed with an unplayable 50-mph dribbler. Jake Rogers and Sam Antonacci then delivered actual singles to tie the score.
There being no other Sox offensive highlights, what the heck, let's show you the RBIs. First, Jake's:
Nice stop by Peña, nice hustle by a catcher to avoid the DP. Then Sam's, which actually made it to the outfield.

#good #choo

There are frustrating losses, and then there is whatever the White Sox subjected us to on Wednesday night.
Chicago wasted nearly every opportunity it received, went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and handed Houston the only two runs it needed in a maddening 2-0 defeat. The lone silver lining came elsewhere, as Cleveland also lost, leaving the White Sox with a three-game lead in the AL Central.
Davis Martin was considerably sharper in his return from the injured list. Making his first start since Aug. 13 after dealing with a blister on his pitching hand, the righthander breezed through a perfect first inning. He needed only nine pitches and received some help from Colson Montgomery, who made an outstanding play at shortstop for the third out.
The White Sox received their first gift in the second when Andrew Benintendi reached on a missed-catch error by LaMonte Wade Jr. Braden Montgomery followed with a 106.8 mph liner, but it was hit directly at Jose Altuve for the first out. Hayden Wesneski then plunked Colson to put two aboard, only for Chase Meidroth to ground into a strange inning-ending double play. It seems like Jose Altuve is always in the middle of these things.
Martin surrendered a one-out single to Daulton Varsho in the bottom half, and Varsho promptly swiped second. There was no reason to panic, however, as Martin struck out the next two batters on six pitches. His four-seamer was especially effective early.

#martin

HOUSTON (AP) — Nelson Velázquez hit a two-run single in the eighth inning to break a scoreless tie, Hayden Wesneski and two relievers combined on a three-hitter and the Houston Astros defeated the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Wednesday night.
With one out in the eighth, Yordan Alvarez singled and Isaac Paredes walked before Jose Altuve was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Pinch-runner Nick Allen was thrown out at home trying to score on a grounder by Daulton Varsho back to Sean Newcomb (2-4) before Velázquez laced his single into left-center field.
Wesneski allowed one hit with five strikeouts over seven shutout innings. He has allowed one run and five hits over his last three starts, a span of 17 innings. A.J. Blubaugh (5-2) gave up two hits in the eighth before Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.
Wesneski retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced, including 12 straight between a one-out walk to Sam Antonacci in the third and a one-out walk to Braden Montgomery in the seventh.
Davis Martin scattered five hits with three strikeouts over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his first start since Aug. 13. Martin, who had been on the 15-day injured list with a right middle finger blister, was activated before the game.

#wesneski #eighth #martin #zquez

The White Sox (73-65) rebounded from Monday's rough loss to the Astros (70-69), defeating Houston behind South Side ace Sean Burke. The righthander earned his eighth win of the season.
Despite getting off to a rocky start in the bottom of the first, Burke battled through his 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit while walking three and striking out six. The righty started the game with back-to-back walks. To his credit, Burke battled back from 3-0 to fill the count against Yordan Alvarez, but ultimately walked him to put two runners on with no outs. To be fair, a walk beats Yordan blasting a home run over the right-field wall, so all things considered, I'll take it. Burke was able to lock in and induce three consecutive fly outs to get out of the jam. There was one final scare when José Altuve drove a ball to the wall in left, but Sam Antonacci had just enough room to make the catch.
Once Burke put the first inning behind him, he recovered beautifully and did not surrender a hit until the fifth. It would be the first and only hit he allowed. Burke labored early, running the count full five times and needing 49 pitches to complete the first two frames. He did, however, limit the damage and kept the Astros off the scoreboard.
The righty settled in during the third, needing only nine pitches to retire Houston in order. He also froze Alvarez with a 95-mph fastball for his second strikeout of the night. Burke rang up two more in the fourth, preserving the no-hitter a little longer. With one out in the fifth, Taylor Trammell poked a double down the right-field line to finally put Houston in the hit column, but Burke moved right along and recorded the final two outs without incident.
On the other side of the ball, the White Sox scattered a few hits through the first four frames but remained relatively quiet until the fifth. Their recent lack of situational hitting carried into the beginning of this one, and the South Siders made Ronel Blanco look much better than his ERA suggested. Blanco entered with an ERA above 7.00 but stranded five runners and kept the White Sox off the scoreboard. He struck out only three over four innings, while three walks helped drive up his pitch count. Still, he worked through the lineup well enough to keep Houston in the game.

#burke #first #back

In the end, Bennett Sousa just wasn't up to the task. Yankees 9 Astros 3.
The Astros would once again get on the board first. Isaac Paredes drew a two out walk and scored on a Jose Altuve double. However, the lead was short-lived as in the bottom of the same frame, Ben Rice would hit a solo shot.
The Yankees weren't done. Luis Garcia singled, and advanced to third on a throwing error by Christian Walker. George Lombard Jr brought him in giving the New York their first lead of the night, 2-1.
That remained the score until Daulton Varsho launched his 10th homer of the season, a solo shot to center field to tie the game at 2.
In the bottom of the fourth the Yankees were active. Chisholm, Wells, and Caballero each singled which generated a 3-2 lead.

#yankees #lead #astros #solo

Tuesday Night marked the fifth time this season that the last place Angels defeated the Astros.
Final Score LA 3 Houston 1
The Angels scored the first run of the night in the top of the third inning. Wade Meckler singled to center, stole second and came around thanks to a clutch two out RBI from Nolan Schanuel. The Astros had chances in the first. With two outs, Issac Paredes drew a walk and went to third on a single from Jose Altuve. However, each were stranded when Daulton Varsho struck out swinging.
Josh Lowe would add to the Angels lead, launching an opposite field home run in the fourth inning off Cristian Javier. It was Lowe's 10th home run of the season. Javier would last four innings, allowing 5 hits, a pair of runs and striking out five on 87 pitches. The 87 pitches would be Javier's highest total of the year. Bryan King would come on in relief and exit after a Nolan Schanuel single. King would give way to Enyel De Los Santos, who would promptly allow an RBI double to Zach Neto. Just like that, the Angels had posted runs in three consecutive innings.
In just his fifth major league start, George Klassen would pitch shut out baseball over seven innings, resembling Chuck Finley in his Halos prime. He'd earn the win. The Astros lone run came off the bat of Cam Smith who hit his 17 home run of the year of Jose Fermin.

#Angels #innings

HOUSTON (AP) — Rookie George Klassen allowed one hit in a career-high seven scoreless innings and Josh Lowe homered to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
Klassen (2-1), who was making his fifth career start, also set a career mark by striking out seven. He allowed only a first inning single to Jose Altuve.
Cam Smith hit a solo homer off José Fermin with no outs in the eighth to cut the lead to 3-1. But Ben Joyce pitched a scoreless ninth to get his third save and send the AL West leaders to their third straight loss.
Houston starter Cristian Javier (1-4) allowed five hits and two runs in four innings.
The Angels scored all three of their runs with two outs for their second win in three games.

#Angels #seven #scoreless

HOUSTON (AP) — Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena homered to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday night.
Arozarena went deep in the first inning and Raleigh connected in the sixth to make it 3-1. The victory gives the Mariners a 9-2 advantage in the season series.
The Mariners led by a run when the Astros loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth inning after Jose Altuve singled when reliever Seranthony Domínguez tripped and fell trying to catch his infield pop up.
But Domínguez struck out Daulton Varsho to escape the jam.
Seattle's Bryan Woo (9-8) yielded three hits and two runs while striking out five in six innings. Andrés Muñoz walked one in a scoreless ninth for his 22nd save.

#inning #nguez

HOUSTON (AP) — Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena homered to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday night.
Arozarena went deep in the first inning and Raleigh connected in the sixth to make it 3-1. The victory gives the Mariners a 9-2 advantage in the season series.
The Mariners led by a run when the Astros loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth inning after Jose Altuve singled when reliever Seranthony Domínguez tripped and fell trying to catch his infield pop up.
But Domínguez struck out Daulton Varsho to escape the jam.
Seattle's Bryan Woo (9-8) yielded three hits and two runs while striking out five in six innings. Andrés Muñoz walked one in a scoreless ninth for his 22nd save.

#Mariners #inning #randy #Seattle

It was a costly night in the bay. Not only would Houston lose by a score of 4-1, but they'd also witness an early exit from Jose Altuve who was hit in the left foot on an errant pitch from Carson Whisenhunt during his first AB. Nick Allen would replace Altuve as a result. It's officially being listed as a left foot contusion.
Whisenhunt labored early on. In the opening two innings alone, he'd toss 55 pitches. During that stretch, the Astros would strand a total of five baserunners. The lone score was a sac fly from Yordan Alvarez, which was his 87th RBI of the season. Aside from that run, the only other things that went right on this night were the Rangers and Mariners each losing and failing to gain ground.
Hunter Brown would give up that aforementioned lead moments later. Rafael Devers led off the bottom of the second with a walk. Devers proceeded to take second, and on a Drew Gilbert single, he'd score to tie things at 1. San Francisco would add a run in the bottom of the fourth. Gilbert once again was at the center of things, as he'd draw a walk and eventually come around to score on Drew Cavanaugh's single to center field. That made the score 2-1.
After initially being on the ropes, Whisenhunt would settle down and cruise through the next three innings. At one point, he'd retire 11 in a row. For the night, he'd allow 4 hits, issue 3 walks and strike out a pair while surrendering one run.
Hunter Brown would go five innings. In his final inning of work, Bryce Eldridge would take him deep with a solo blast to center field. Brown issued 3 walks and only managed a total of six swing and misses against Giants hitters. De Los Santos lasted mere minutes in relief of Brown. With two outs in the 6th, Cavanaugh reached on a single and scored on a double from Christian Koss. That made the score 4-1 and that would be your final.

#score #he 'd #innings

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Bryce Eldridge homered, fellow rookie Carson Whisenhunt pitched 5 2/3 innings after working out of two early bases-loaded jams and the San Francisco Giants beat the Houston Astros 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Jose Altuve was hit by a pitch from Whisenhunt (3-3) to load the bases with one out in the first. Altuve stayed in the game but did not return for the bottom of the second inning with what the team said was a left foot contusion.
Christian Walker popped out to short right field for the second out, and Nelson Velázquez grounded out to third in his first at-bat with the Astros after being claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Houston loaded the bases with ****** ody out in the second, but managed only a sacrifice fly by Yordan Alvarez for a 1-0 lead.
Rafael Devers drew a walk off Hunter Brown (3-2) and took second on a wild pitch to start the bottom of the inning. Drew Gilbert's one-out single tied it.

#second #francisco #altuve #loaded

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve left the team's game at San Francisco on Tuesday night after getting hit on the left foot by a pitch.
The Astros said Altuve had a bruised foot.
Altuve was hit by an 82 mph slider from Giants starter Carson Whisenhunt in the top of the first. After getting looked at, he stayed in the game to run the bases.
The 36-year-old two-time World Series champion took the field for the bottom of the inning but left before going back out on defense in the third. He was replaced by Nick Allen.
Altuve is hitting .240 with 13 home runs and 35 RBIs in his 16th season in the majors. Houston went into the game in first place in the AL West.

#altuve #left #game #first

Different venue, different result. Astros 6. Giants 3. It took extra innings, it took perseverance, and it took Jeremy Pena breaking out of a 0-24 slump. It also took a three-hit night from Cam Smith. The change of scenery from Petco to Oracle made all the difference as the offense finally showed some signs of life in front of 28,070.
For the first time in ten games, Houston would score in the opening frame to start things. Yordan Alvarez recorded his 60th extra base hit, hitting a double before Isaac Paredes moved him over to third with a single. Jose Altuve would bring in Alvarez on a sac fly making it 1-0. The next run would come off the bat of Cam Smith who would leave the yard, jacking his 16th of the year in the 7th. In the top of the 9th, Cam would weave some more magic, singling to right field which brought in pinch runner Nick Allen. Cam would go 3-4 on the night, driving in a pair.
Hayden Wesneski would cruise until the bottom of the fourth. Bryce Eldridge reached on a double. Rafael Devers followed that up with a walk and Oslevivis Basabe would single to load the bases. Drew Gilbert would notch his 23rd RBI of the season on a sac fly, tying things up at 1-1. Taylor Trammell would then make the defensive play of the night, making a spectacular play on a line out from Drew Cavanaugh to close out the inning. The Giants would strand a pair of runners.
However, the next pair of innings, the Giants would take Wesenski deep on multiple occasions. Jung Hoo Lee would hit his 9th homer of the year. That would be followed up by former Astros prospect, Drew Gilbert, who in the seventh went yard. Houston had plenty of opportunities during that window, including a bases loaded opportunity, but Christian Walker grounded out, stranding three. Even with the home runs, for all intents and purposes, Wesenski rendered a decent showing. His seven innings of work was the deepest a starter has gone in a game for Houston since Hunter Brown verses the White Sox on July 25th.
In the 10th inning, LaMonte Wade walked and went to second on a Pena single. They would each score on a clutch double from Isaac Parades. The bottom of 10th was arguably the best move Joe Espada has made this baseball season, sending out Josh Hader for a second inning of relief after previously vowing not to implement. Hader would dazzle, pitching a pair of scoreless innings, registering a pair of K's.

#Giants #houston #single

HOUSTON (AP) — Ernie Clement's two-run homer in the 10th inning lifted the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-4 win over the Houston Astros Wednesday.
The game was tied at 3-all entering the 10th with the automatic runner on second when Clement sent the first pitch from Bennett Sousa (0-1) over left field to put the Blue Jays on top.
Yordan Alvarez's base hit to start Houston's 10th scored the automatic runner to get the Astros within 5-4, but Alvarez was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double.
The Astros challenged the call, which was upheld. Manager Joe Espada was then ejected for arguing the decision.
Chase Lee retired Jose Altuve and Daulton Varsho to end it and collect his first save.

#blue #jays #runner #ernie

A day after the Houston Astros did not add pitching at the trade deadline, one of the starters they are counting on to contribute down the stretch helped them even a series.
In his second outing back from Tommy John surgery, right-hander Hayden Wesneski worked a quality start that gave the Astros' offense time to stir in a 7-2 win over the Blue Jays at Daikin Park. Houston, which had a six-game winning streak snapped Monday, has won 12 of 14 and sits at 59-56.
More impact from the bottom half of its lineup, a trend on this homestand, buoyed it Tuesday. Jose Altuve struck three hits, scoring twice and driving in two runs from the sixth spot. Taylor Trammell's three-run home run off Toronto reliever Chad Dallas capped a four-run fifth.
That backed an encouraging start by Wesneski, who allowed two runs across six innings. Turning from the asking prices for pitching Monday leaves the Astros relying on two starters - Wesneski and Ronel Blanco - who recently returned from elbow surgeries.
General manager Dana Brown described their returns Monday as "in itself like a trade acquisition," a platitude that may resemble one less if both perform. Houston has won each of Wesneski's starts, an auspicious beginning to that plan.

#wesneski #starters #start #three

HOUSTON (AP) — Alejandro Kirk homered, Jesús Sánchez and Ernie Clement each had an RBI and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Houston 3-1 on Monday night, snapping the Astros' six-game winning streak.
Shane Bieber (3-2) bounced back after walking a career-high six batters while just getting two outs in his last start. He tied a season high with nine hits allowed but gave up just one run with two walks in 5 2/3 innings.
Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.
Jose Altuve had two hits and Jeremy Peña drove in a run for the Astros, who failed to get an extra-base hit and left 13 men on base.
There were two on with two outs in the sixth when an RBI single by Peña cut the lead to 3-1 and chased Bieber.

#astros #hits #alejandro #ernie

Wasn't it 35 years ago when the Red-Hot Chili Peppers sang "Give it away, Give it away now?" That's exactly what the Angels did on this night. They gave it away; fortunately for Houston. Astros 6. Angels 4.
In the ninth inning, the Astros would do it by a matter of inches. First, Isaac Paredes would be slightly grazed by a pitch with the bases loaded which would tie things up. Moments later LaMonte Wade Jr., by the narrowest of margins, would draw a walk which gave Houston their first lead of the night. A fielding error by Angels reliever Sam Bachman would allow Yordan Alvarez to score an insurance run and that would be your final. It was an improbable comeback, just like Friday night in Chicago.
Even with the jubilation of the end result, much of the night was painted by a sad commentary. The Astros were fortunate to only be down by two runs at the end of the first inning. That was the boat the Astros found themselves in, which actually seemed like more like a sinking ship. The culprit once again was Tatsuya Imai, who allowed four walks and received the quick hook from Manager Joe Espada after tossing just 33 pitches. The issue was 21 of those pitches were ****** , which resulted in a disastrous start from Anaheim.
Upon Imai's departure, AJ Blubaugh would get Angels 3B Denzer Guzman to fly out to end the first frame, stranding three Angels runners. However, in the bottom of the third, Vaughn Grissom would drive in his second run of the night, hitting a solo shot to center field. It was Grissom's 7th home run of season. Josh Lowe would then reach on a throwing error by Jose Altuve. Moments later, Lowe would come around to score on a double by Jo Adell. By the time the third was in the books, the Angels had increased their lead to 4-0. Blubaugh would work 2 1/3 innings, allowing 2 hits, a run, while registering a strikeout.
In the fourth inning, Taylor Trammell would notch his fifth home run of the year on a two out blast to get the Astros on the board. In the bottom of the fourth, Christian Javier (W, 1-1) would enter in relief. Javier would go five innings, striking out seven while scattering three hits. Javier would strike out the side in the bottom of the 8th, throwing just 70 pitches through his performance. It's possible that Javier's outing will ultimately propel him back into the starting rotation next month.

#night #away #pitches

For years, we've come to expect the MLB All-Star Game to feature players who have perennially been among the best in the sport. We become accustomed to seeing the same names fill out the rosters. Guys like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, Chris Sale, Jose Altuve, Mike Trout, and more. While some of those names are still here in Philadelphia, it feels like we're witnessing a little bit of a changing of the guard, particularly amongst the starting pitchers.
This year's All-Star rosters had 26 first-time players selected, and 14 of the starting pitchers will be making their first or second appearance in the Midsummer Classic. Six of those starting pitchers (plus Paul Skenes, who is making his third appearance) are 26 years old or younger, and all of them, apart from Skenes, have made fewer than 35 career MLB starts. For comparison's sake, Chris Sale, who is also participating in the All-Star Game, has made 329 career starts (even with his litany of injuries).
"I think the game's changing, the game's getting younger," acknowledged Reds' starting pitcher Chase Burns, who is making his first career All-Star appearance. "I know it probably sucks to say that for older guys, but, you know, it's because of them that the game's gotten better."
That deference to the veterans was common amongst the young hurlers who were present at the All-Star game: "It's a good mix of older, veteran guys that we can learn from, and then a lot of hungry guys that are trying to make it back here every year and stay healthy," said Yankees' starter Cam Schlittler, who is also making his first All-Star appearance.
The "hungry" young guys that Schlittler talked about have been making their presence known this season. Among qualified starting pitchers, five of the top 10 starters in WAR are current All-Stars who are 26 years old or younger. Seven of the top 12 qualified starting pitchers in terms of strikeout rate are 26 years old or younger, including the Guardians' Gavin Williams and the Mets' Nolan McLean, who were not selected as All-Stars.

The Astros may not be the conquering force they once were, but they remain a dangerous team. Yordan Alvarez is the biggest driver of that, and the Nats can’t let the Astros DH beat them on his own. The Nats will look to bounce back from a series loss against the Pirates as they continue this home stand.
Jacob Young is back in the lineup for the Nats. He will patrol center field while Daylen Lile is in left and Dylan Crews is in right. James Wood will take DH duties tonight. Nasim Nunez will be back at second base, while Drew Millas is behind the plate. Miles Mikolas will get the start this evening.
The focal point of this Astros lineup is the ferocious Yordan Alvarez who is hitting .320 with 29 homers. Jose Altuve, Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes are solid supporting pieces, but make no mistake, Yordan is the star of the show. The top of the Astros lineup has been elite, but they do not have the most depth. Mike Burrows has not had the season the Astros envisioned when they traded for him this offseason, but he will look to get going tonight.
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WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Eury Pérez pitched seven perfect innings before getting lifted by Miami manager Clayton McCullough, and the Marlins nearly squandered an eight-run lead Sunday in a 9-8 victory over the Athletics.
Heriberto Hernández homered twice for the surprising Marlins (49-42), who have won nine of 12 overall after completing a three-game sweep. Leo Jiménez and All-Star shortstop Otto Lopez also went deep.
Lopez, who leads the majors with a .346 batting average, drove in three runs and scored twice. He and Hernández had back-to-back homers in the sixth, and each finished with three of Miami’s 16 hits.
Lopez has 39 multihit games, most before the All-Star break since Houston’s Jose Altuve had 40 in 2014.
Pérez (5-6) struck out a season-high eight and retired all 21 batters he faced. It was the fourth time this year he didn’t walk anyone.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Eury Pérez pitched seven perfect innings before getting lifted by Miami manager Clayton McCullough, and the Marlins nearly squandered an eight-run lead Sunday in a 9-8 victory over the Athletics.
Heriberto Hernández homered twice for the surprising Marlins (49-42), who have won nine of 12 overall after completing a three-game sweep. Leo Jiménez and All-Star shortstop Otto Lopez also went deep.
Lopez, who leads the majors with a .346 batting average, drove in three runs and scored twice. He and Hernández had back-to-back homers in the sixth, and each finished with three of Miami's 16 hits.
Lopez has 39 multihit games, most before the All-Star break since Houston’s Jose Altuve had 40 in 2014.
Pérez (5-6) struck out a season-high eight and retired all 21 batters he faced. It was the fourth time this year he didn’t walk anyone.

The Tampa Bay Rays came into Sunday’s game against the Houston Astros riding a nine-game homer streak. That streak came to an end on a day of a shutout loss, when the lucky breaks did not go the Rays’ way.

Houston wasted no time accepting two unexpected gifts in the bottom of the first. Ben Williamson could not field Jose Altuve’s ground ball, and Hunter Feduccia’s throw sailed into center field on Altuve’s stolen base attempt, allowing the Astros’ second baseman to race all the way to third with only one out.
That usually ends with a run crossing the plate. Instead, Rays’ starter Mason Englert had other ideas.
After striking out Yordan Alvarez, Englert watched Isaac Paredes lift a harmless fly ball to shallow right, then froze Christian Walker with another strikeout to escape the inning unscathed. It was an impressive bit of damage control that could have easily unraveled after two defensive mistakes.
The Rays had survived their own sloppy start. Now they just needed to take advantage of it.
They almost did an inning later.

HOUSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run homer off Casey Legumina with no outs in the ninth inning to cap a big night and give the Houston Astros a 10-8 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
The Rays had won nine in a row, the longest winning streak in the American League this season.
Named to his fourth All-Star team before the game, Alvarez homered twice and drove in six runs. He leads the AL with 29 homers and has four multi-homer games this season.
Jose Altuve drew a walk to open the ninth against Legumina (2-2). Altuve was 2 for 3 with two walks and three runs.
After Hunter Brown allowed a season-high seven runs over four innings, Houston's bullpen combined to hold the Rays to a run over the final innings, with Josh Hader (3-0) earning the win.

It’s never a good sign when your first mile feels like you’ve already run a full marathon. For Tatsuyi Imai, the outing was quick and ugly. Twins 8 Astros 3.
Imai’s early game struggles were on full display before an announced crowd of 29,179. In the opening several minutes, Trevor Larnach would double and Josh Bell would hit a ball to dead center that’s still traveling. Bell’s blast would officially become the fifth longest ball hit to center field since the ballyard at 501 Crawford Street opened its doors in 2000. Just like that, it was a 2-0 lead, and the following inning Minnesota would continue the **** ault.
Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee would reach on walks, and then Kody Clemens would do his version of a deep shot to center, and the Twins had put five runs on the board. Clemons has now hit 14 homeruns this season. For good measure, Imai would issue another walk to Josh Bell and mercifully the curtain would come down. Imai’s final line would read: 1.1 IP with 5 earned runs, 5 walks and 4 hits allowed, including 2 HR. In sharp contrast was his counterpart Taj Bradley would record a season high 11 strikeouts, at one point mowing down five in a row.
The Astros scored their initial run thanks to Jose Altuve’s leadoff walk of the game. Altuve would advance to third on Yordan Alvarez’s first hit of the night, eventually scoring on a double play groundout by Isaac Paredes.
The next time there would be signs of life would be in the 6th. Brice Matthews (who replaced Christian Walker, who left the game with lower back stiffness) and Cam Smith would reach base in consecutive fashion to start things. Then Joey Loperfido and Nick Allen would each notch RBI’s singles, cutting the deficit to 7-3 but that would be as close as they’d get.

HOUSTON (AP) — Taj Bradley struck out 11 to tie his career high, Josh Bell, Kody Clemens and Luke Keaschall homered and the Minnesota Twins beat the Houston Astros 8-3 on Wednesday night.
Bradley (7-3) allowed a run and four hits and walked four in five innings. After Jose Altuve scored from third base when Isaac Paredes grounded into a double play in the first inning, Bradley recorded 10 consecutive outs by strikeout.
Bell has a career-high 16-game road hitting streak, the longest active streak of its kind in the majors. Trevor Larnach went 3 for 5 with a double and a two-run single.
The Twins have won three consecutive road series for the first time May of 2025.
After Larnach doubled to lead off the game against Tatsuya Imai (5-4) Bell hit a two-out, two-run homer. Clemens hit a 399-foot shot to make it 5-1 in the second.

DETROIT (AP) — Isaac Paredes hit a two-run double in the eighth inning and the Houston Astros spoiled their former manager's opportunity at a milestone victory by rallying for an 8-6 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch entered the game with 999 victories, including 481 with Houston between 2015 and 2019, but his bullpen couldn't get him to 1,000.
The Astros trailed 6-5 going into the eighth, but Jeremy Peña's RBI single off Will Vest tied the game, with center fielder James Outman's error putting runners on second and third with two outs. Paredes, who started his career with the Tigers, followed with a two-run double to right, giving Houston an 8-6 lead.
Bryan King pitched a perfect eighth and Josh Hader retired the Tigers in order in the ninth for his seventh save.
Houston took a 2-0 lead on Cam Smith's homer in the second inning and added another run in the third when Jose Altuve hit into a run-scoring double play.