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A Definite Boost Was This Astros Win

Yordan Álvarez, a former LatinoMVP winner, rounds the bases at Yankee Stadium on Thursday - Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports

BRONX, NY — These Houston Astros are off to their fifth worst start in franchise history and had a distinction of never losing a season series that entailed more than six games. It has not been Astros baseball as their season approaches the quarter pole.

They know they are better, even as pitching issues with their rotation and bullpen have contributed to a bad start. Their rivals in the Bronx, the Yankees, were on the verge of sweeping all seven games from them this season.

But Thursday at Yankee Stadium, with an unusual 5:00PM first pitch to start, the Yankees were denied a sweep. More importantly, the Astros 4-3 win, as they say, was a boost they needed. The Astros have dominated the Yankees over the past few years, different of course being on the other side of losing their last nine dating back to last September.

So what was the difference in this finale of two American League rivals? Yankees starter Marcus Stroman had issues with his sinker from the onset, as Yordan Álvarez (2022 AL LatinoMVP) and Jon Singleton hit home runs in the first inning. Jeremy Peña recorded multiple hits in back-to-back games for the third time this season with a fifth inning RBI.

Yordan Álvarez (Las Tunas, Cuba) connects for a first-inning solo blast that landed into the second deck of Yankee Stadium’s right-field on Thursday – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports

And Ronel Blanco recorded his fourth win (4-0) allowing four hits with five strikeouts, 5 ⅔ innings and a career- high 107 pitches, a boost that was needed for a rotation that has struggled.

“We fight until the end, and we have to,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “We have to be resilient and fight our way through this, it’s the only way you can get out of it. You can’t quit, you gotta compete. It was a big boost bit more for him,” he said, referring to Blanco.

Ronel Blanco (Santiago, Dominican Republic) in Thursday’s outing at Yankee Stadium. Last month, Blanco recorded the 17th no-hitter in Astros franchise history – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports

For sure, this was a major boost. The Astros won a lot of one-run games last season because of strong starting pitching, a bullpen that secured the hold and saves. And it was always timely hitting that led them to four-of-the-last seven AL pennants. So never count the Astros out of the picture despite their 13-24 start in mid-May. This win was reminiscent of those pennant winning teams and many of the injured are on the comeback trail including right-hander starters José Urquidy and Cristian Javier.

“That was a big win for us,” said Peña. “We needed that and we’re trying to try and build off that.”

It was Blanco, and closer Josh Hader who denied Anthony Rizzo driving in Alex Verdugo to end the eighth inning. Hader would work more than three outs out of the pen for a save since August of 2020, reminiscent again of how the Astros always managed to win tight ballgames and seen often in the postseason.

Josh Hader signed a five-year/$95 million contract with the Astros this offseason – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports

Espada was raving about how Blanco threw 14 pitches to Rizzo, a Yankees hot hitter in the fourth inning, including hitting 10 straight foul balls and retiring him on a changeup. It was persistence and resilience, and where have we heard this in the past about those Astros teams?

“My goal there was for him (Rizzo) not to get on with a free pass,” said Blanco through an interpreter. “He was going to have to get a hit off of me right there.”

Regardless, the Yankees knew these were the Astros. Their rivals have denied them three times for that trip to the World Series, though this year the tide had turned during their previous six games including a season opening sweep in Houston. The Yankees outscored the Astros 40-18 in the first six games.

And before one can concede the AL pennant again to the Astros, you have to look at the Yankees with a league best 25 wins. A long season remains and the Astros will always be viable despite their slow start.

Yordan Álvarez and Jeremy Peña (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) following Álvarez’s first inning solo-blast on Thursday at Yankee Stadium – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports

Álvarez recorded his 9th career Yankee Stadium home run, 3-for-32 with no homers in his previous nine games, so his solo blast in the second deck in right field (116.8 mph) got some raves. He was not available for comment, though Espada and his teammates admired the home run from their perch in the dugout.

“When he hit it, he looked in the dugout as if he was saying ‘Hey, I’m coming,” commented Espada. “And we know he’s coming out and we can’t wait for him to get here.”

A boost for sure and the Astros needed this, perhaps not a must win but more for their morale as they visit Detroit Friday night for the start of a three-game series.

Rich Mancuso is a contributor and senior writer of Latinosports.com – X (Formerly Twitter) @Ring786 Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Julio Pabón

    May 10, 2024 at 1:33 pm

    Good insight into a team that needs to improve as you say, their morale.

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