Cristian Javier gave the Astros exactly the kind of lift they needed Friday night, and he did it with the kind of bite that had been missing for much of his return from Tommy John surgery.
In Houston’s 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks in the series opener at Daikin Park, Javier held Arizona to one hit outside of a solo homer while punching out eight over five innings. It was his sharpest outing since coming back from surgery 13 months ago, and it arrived at a good time for an Astros team that keeps stacking wins.
The victory pushed Houston to 73-69, a season-high four games above .500. It was also the club’s seventh win in its last nine games and its third straight.
Javier finished at 2-5 and showed the kind of swing-and-miss stuff the Astros have been waiting to see. He generated 19 whiffs, his most since the elbow surgery, and got 47 of his 79 pitches into the strike zone.
The right-hander did issue three walks, and the only damage against him came on Gabriel Moreno’s homer in the fourth. Even with that blemish, he looked far more like himself than he had in August, when he posted a 5.79 ERA across 23 1/3 innings in four starts and one relief appearance.
Houston gave him breathing room early with a three-run third inning against Merrill Kelly. Yainer Diaz launched his 11th home run of the season, Isaac Paredes followed with an RBI double, and Jose Altuve lifted a sacrifice fly that brought Yordan Alvarez home.
From there, the Astros let the pitching take over. Josh Hader finished it off with a perfect ninth, striking out the side for his 250th career save.
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Astros Suddenly Have A Bullpen Problem In The AL West Race
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Okert has been one of Houstons most important setup options all season, leading the club with 21 holds. Losing him now only adds to the pressure on a relief group that has already had to carry a heavy load, and it leaves the Astros watching closely to see how quickly they can get one of their most trusted late-game pieces back. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Rotation Trouble Is Putting A.J. Blubaughs Role Under Pressure
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White Sox Scramble To Fix One Problem After Astros Series Loss
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For the White Sox, Teels return comes at a time when every bit of catching depth matters, especially with the team still pushing in the American League Central race. The move does not solve everything, but it gives Chicago a healthier look behind the plate and one more option as it tries to steady things after running into Houston. [Read more 🡒]