The Astros’ playoff chase took another hard turn Saturday night, and the damage came in one swing.
Ronald Acuña Jr. unloaded a grand slam off Bryan Abreu in the seventh inning, breaking open a tight game and sending Houston to a 6-3 loss to the Braves at Daikin Park. The defeat was Houston’s ninth in its last 13 games and pushed the club below .500 at 77-78 for the first time since Aug.
- With Texas beating Toronto 6-2, the Astros also slipped a game behind the Rangers in the American League West.
Houston had chances early to control the game, and Isaac Paredes gave them a fast start by driving in both of the team’s first runs. He opened the scoring with a first-inning homer and added a third-inning single. Hayden Wesneski also did his part on the mound, allowing one run on four hits over 5 1/3 innings.
But the game changed once the bullpen took over. AJ Blubaugh let the 7-8-9 hitters reach in the seventh, setting the stage for Acuña to hammer a 97 mph fastball from Abreu over the left-field wall for the decisive blow.
Atlanta added more in the eighth when Mike Yastrzemski homered off Logan VanWey, who had been called up from Triple-A before the game. Houston trimmed the margin to 6-3 on Yainer Diaz’s RBI double in the bottom of the inning, which brought pinch-hitter Nelson Velázquez up as the tying run. He struck out.
The Astros will finish the home part of their schedule Sunday against the Braves, then head out for six road games against AL West opponents. That stretch begins with two games at the Mariners and ends with four at the A’s. Houston is 6-14 combined against those two teams this season, going 2-9 against Seattle and 4-5 against Oakland.
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Astros Bench Picture Just Got More Complicated With Brice Matthews Back
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Jorge Barrosas stay with the Astros was brief, lasting just four games before the roster squeeze caught up with him. Now Houston has to wait and see whether another team claims him or whether he clears waivers and remains in the organization, a small but real example of how tight the bench picture can get when a team starts juggling health, versatility and the last few spots on the roster. [Read more 🡒]