The Houston Astros have been on fire since coming off of the All-Star break, a combined 5-0 to be exact. The Astros started the second half of the season against the juggernaut New York Yankees, a team they’ve had success against this year, and the Seattle Mariners, who held a 14-game winning streak going into their series with Houston.
Kings of New York
Immediately out of the All-Star break, the Astros were tested with a two-game doubleheader against the team with the best record in baseball, the New York Yankees. Going into this series, the Astros led the season series against the Yankees 3-2 and would look to make a statement…and they did.
During all seven games this season between the Astros and Yankees, the Yankees never threw a pitch nor came up to bat with the lead; that’s how dominant Houston has been. New York has cruised through their schedule and haven’t struggled much this season until the Astros came to play.
Game one of the doubleheader was all Houston as they led 2-0 until DJ LeMahieu hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to cut the lead in half. It would stay a 2-1 ballgame until the top of the ninth when Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit an RBI single to tie the game at two a piece. The Astros would load the bases in the bottom of the ninth and pinch-hit Martin Maldonado for rookie first baseman J.J Matijevic, who would drive in the game-winning run as the Astros took Game one.
Game Two was also all Astros, as they jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning after back-to-back solo home runs by Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman. They’d go on to score five more runs as the game progressed. The Yankees would make it close, with an Aaron Judge three-run home run to make it a 7-5 ballgame, but it was all for not as the Astros prevailed.
Astros Sink the Mariners
After completing a two-game sweep of the Yankees, the Astros made a trip up to Seattle to face the red-hot Mariners, who entered the series on a 14-game winning streak. The Astros came into Seattle and took care of business and then some as they swept the Seattle Mariners, ending their winning streak and growing their division lead over the Mariners to 13 games.
Much like the Yankees series, the Astros never trailed the Mariners in any of the three games they played, as they have continued to dominate their opponents.
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