PHILADELPHIA -- The Astros got exactly the kind of lift they need for a September push on Tuesday night: a big swing from Daulton Varsho, production from the back end of the lineup and a starting pitcher who kept the night on track.
Varsho, back at Citizens Bank Park for the first time as an Astro, delivered the decisive homer in a 6-5 win over the Phillies. The result moved Houston 2 1/2 games ahead of the Rangers in the American League West, pending Texas’ game Tuesday night in Seattle.
The 30-year-old center fielder did more than leave his mark with one swing. He finished 3-for-5 and scored twice, and after the game he made it clear the ballpark still carries meaning for him.
“I like hitting here,” Varsho said after going 3-for-5 and scoring a pair of runs. “It's a place that always brings back good memories. So yeah, it's always nice to have a good game here.”
Those memories go back a long way. Varsho spent childhood summers chasing fly balls at Citizens Bank Park while his father, Gary, coached for the Phillies. Daulton was 6-10 years old during that stretch, and he was named for Darren Daulton, Gary’s teammate during his lone season with Philadelphia in 1995.
On Tuesday, though, the old familiarity came with a new result for the home crowd. Varsho’s blast was part of an offensive night that leaned heavily on Houston’s lower half of the order.
Christian Walker, batting seventh, set the tone with a three-run homer in the second inning and reached base three times. Cam Smith, hitting ninth, added a solo shot in the fourth.
Yainer Diaz, in the sixth spot, chipped in with two hits. In all, the Astros’ Nos. 5-9 hitters went 9-for-20 with five RBIs.
That was the difference on a night when Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve combined to go 0-for-10, the only two Astros to go hitless.
“You’ve got to pick each other up,” manager Joe Espada said. “That's how you do it.
That's how you stay in the race. That’s how we roll, man.
Yordan, he gets all the attention and rightfully so, but we need everyone to contribute. Everyone.”
Houston’s offense needed that kind of balance because the club is in the middle of a brutal stretch: 13 straight games, and 16 of 19, against teams that started the day in the postseason picture. Against that backdrop, Tuesday’s win carried extra weight.
Walker said the performance was a reminder that the lineup doesn’t have to live and die with the stars at the top.
“Those guys, they've been carrying us all year. Yordan's been unbelievable,” Walker said.
“I think it's good to make sure he knows that he can try to figure some stuff out and go through something, and it's not going to come at the cost of not winning games. Proud of the guys for picking up the slack.”
The numbers tell the same story. Before Tuesday, Houston’s Nos. 5-9 hitters had combined for a .285 on-base percentage, the worst in the majors for those lineup spots.
They were hitting .225 with a .654 OPS, both marks ranked 28th in MLB. The Astros don’t need that group to become the engine, but they do need nights like this one.
Espada said matchups like Tuesday’s are the ones his club has to embrace down the stretch.
“We’re trying to get to the playoffs, and these are the type of teams that you're going to have to play -- and beat -- in the playoffs,” Espada said. "So I like playing teams like this toward the end. Guys look forward to these matchups."
The lineup wasn’t the only encouraging sign. Houston’s starting pitching, which had a 5.22 ERA through Aug. 20 and ranked 28th in the majors, has turned sharply in the other direction.
The Astros’ starters now own a 2.93 ERA after Hayden Wesneski worked six innings and allowed three runs against Philadelphia. That mark ranked third in the majors after the game, trailing only the Angels at 2.50 and the Phillies at 2.78.
Wesneski said the urgency is obvious.
“It’s pushing time. It's time to go,” Wesneski said. “ … These are just really important games, and guys feel it -- and that makes it simple.
“Hey, we need to win. That's it. Simple as that.”
In Other News...
Astros Face A Tough Daulton Varsho Decision At The Worst Time
With a two-game cushion in the AL West and an eye on locking up an automatic bye to the ALDS, the Astros are in the kind of stretch where every roster choice gets magnified. Daulton Varsho arrived from Toronto at the Aug. 1 trade deadline as a move meant to strengthen the outfield mix, but his bat has not given Houston the kind of lift it wanted, and that has turned a straightforward deadline addition into a more complicated September evaluation.
Varsho's defensive value still matters, and his postseason track record gives the Astros a reason to stay patient, but the offensive line is hard to ignore. If the production does not come around soon, Houston may have to decide whether to keep leaning on his glove or trim his role at exactly the time when it would rather have its lineup sorting itself out on the way to October. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies All-Star Made One Costly Mistake Astros Fans Loved
Brandon Marsh gave the Phillies a lift with an RBI double, but the moment that stuck with Astros fans came later, when Houston shortstop Jeremy Pea turned a sharp line drive into a double play by doubling Marsh off second base. It was the kind of clean defensive snap that can change a game in a hurry, and it helped keep Houston in a tight matchup against one of the National Leagues top teams.
Marsh took full responsibility afterward for the baserunning mistake, a candid acknowledgment in a game Philadelphia dropped 6-5. For Houston, it was another small but meaningful win in a season where every break matters, while for the Phillies it added to a frustrating night that left them even further back in the NL East race. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Rotation Suddenly Has A New Reason For Confidence Down The Stretch
Hayden Wesneski has given Houston a timely lift at exactly the right point in the season, putting together back-to-back quality starts and showing he can handle meaningful innings every fifth day. His latest outing came against the Phillies, when he worked six innings and allowed three earned runs, another sign that the Astros are getting steadier production from a rotation spot that needed it.
Since coming back from Tommy John surgery, Wesneski has settled in as more than just a fill-in. He is 5-1 with a 3.35 ERA in eight starts and has looked like a dependable No. 3 starter, thanks to sharp control and effective pitch mix. For an Astros team looking to keep winning down the stretch, that kind of stability can change the tone of the whole staff. [Read more 🡒]