Yu Darvish baffles Astros bats
It wasn’t exactly like 2013. That’s when Yu Darvish had a perfect game against the Astros until the last batter, rookie Marwin Gonzalez, hit a single up the middle.
No, not quite that bad tonight, but the Astros managed next to nothing against their old nemesis, who cruised through six scoreless innings, whereas Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti had to scratch and claw to keep his team close.
The Padres scored early. After two outs in the first, back-to-back doubles by Juricson Profar and Manny Machado gave the Friars a 1-0 lead.
Arrighetti would pitch out of trouble until the fourth inning, when Jackson Merrill took Spencer deep to center field. Arrighetti was bailed out in the fifth by a fortunate fielding play. After two straight singles, Profar singled to Spencer Heyward in left, who threw out Luis Arraez at home. Arraez suffered a leg injury on the play.
Arrighetti gutted out five innings, throwing 102 pitches, allowing eight hits, a walk, and only three strikeouts. He lacked his usual put away stuff tonight, getting only 10 whiffs but allowing 29 foul balls. He couldn’t get the Padres to swing and miss, and he couldn’t get them to put the ball in play very easily either. Still, with a little run support, he could have achieved a W on his record instead of getting stuck with the L.
The Astros managed to break through offensively in the eighth inning when Yordan Alvarez singled home Jose Altuve, who opened the inning with a double. However, with a runner on third, the inning ended on a Victor Caratini strikeout.
But it was too little, too late.
Especially after Profar struck again. A homer in the eighth off Tay Scott gave the Padres their two-run lead back.
It was more than enough. The Astros managed only six hits, but left eight runners on base and were 1-5 with runners in scoring position.
Tomorrow Hunter Brown takes the mound against Michael King at 8:40 CT.