Just last week, the Houston Astros almost found themselves on the other end of the 25th perfect game in MLB history.
That bid ended in the eighth inning, but Orioles starter Brandon Young still flirted with baseball immortality by throwing 7.2 perfect frames in an embarrassing 7-0 loss for Houston at Daikin Park.
But on Thursday night, Houston got its revenge. The Astros plated seven runs on Young over the first three innings at Camden Yards, and that was more than enough to secure a comfortable 7-2 victory.
The Astros’ offensive onslaught
Christian Walker put Houston on the board in the first inning with a two-run homer, and Yainer Diaz capped the Astros’ offensive onslaught with another two-run shot in the third to put them up 7-1.
Jesus Sanchez also broke out of an 0-for-29 slump with a 5-for-5 night that marked his second career five-hit performance (also Sept. 17, 2024, with the Marlins), per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart.
All in all, Young was tagged with seven runs off 9 hits and 2 walks in 5.1 innings pitched after looking virtually unstoppable in Houston the previous week.
“We’re going to hit,” Astros manager Joe Espada said, per McTaggart. “I have a lot of confidence in our offense. It does help when you see a starter that sooner. Because it’s fresh in your mind and you can make adjustments quickly. But you’ve still got to execute your gameplan.”
Houston’s win on Thursday snapped a brutal four-game losing streak that included two shutout losses by double digits. The Astros had also lost five of six dating back to Young’s near-perfect game.
Espada said his team was too aggressive when they last faced Young, per McTaggart. Houston clearly made the adjustment in the series opener at Camden.
“I thought we were more anxious the first time we faced him,” Espada said. “I thought we were more in control of our at-bats [tonight]. We hit some balls hard everywhere. Much better. That was a really good adjustment that we made.”
The Astros continue their series in Baltimore tonight at 7:05 p.m. ET.
