Astros Blow Another One In Extra Innings, Nationals Win 5-4

Here are some stats to start this bummer of a recap:

• Outscored 35-6 this season after the seventh inning
• Six blown saves in only eight save opportunities
• 0-3 in extra-inning games
• Bryan Abreu (4.91 ERA), Ryan Pressly (8.31 ERA), and Josh Hader (8.38 ERA)
• José Abreu (.223 OPS) and Chas McCormick (.631 OPS)
• .105 ISO with runners in scoring position entering Saturday, 24th in baseball

A least a few of these numbers will start to look better, sooner or later. I mean, I don’t think we’ll see both Pressly and Hader running an eight-plus ERA all season long. If they do, well, pack it up and try again next season. McCormick will likely find his stride again at the plate. Someone will hit another home run with runners in scoring position. Abreu will…nevermind, I don’t hold out too much hope with him right now. Sign Brandon Belt…?

Saturday’s game against the Nationals started innocently enough as the Astros struck first and scored the first run of afternoon. Ronel Blanco coughed up the lead immediately after, thanks to a leadoff home run on the first pitch to CJ Abrams. Washington would tack on another run in the bottom of the fourth to take a 2-1 lead, but the game itself didn’t feel out of reach. And, honestly, Blanco isn’t the reason that the Astros would ultimately falter in this one. Six innings of two-run ball, striking out six while walking three isn’t the most efficient outing, but we were literally begging for this kind of performance like ten days ago.

Unfortunately, Trevor Williams was even better than Blanco, holding Houston to one run across six innings with four strikeouts and no walks. Robert Garcia wouldn’t record an out before the Astros claimed the lead with a two-run seventh followed by another run off of Jordan Weems in the eighth.

With a 4-2 lead, even with Hader unavailable due to his pitch load in the previous game, felt like a decent spot. After all, Rafael Montero didn’t blow it, and Abreu and Pressly were waiting. It was literally a situation that the Astros won so many times in 2022 and to a lesser degree in 2023. About as ideal as ideal can get.

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. While Abreu held up his end of the bargain, Pressly’s struggles continued. With a two-run lead, the veteran reliever coughed up the lead, starting with Yainer Díaz’s interference call. Abrams double with no outs brought Jesse Winker up to bat, and he promptly tied the game with an RBI single to score Nick Senzel and Abrams. Pressly would escape the inning to keep it tied and send it to extras. However, with Jose Altuve at third base in the tenth inning, the star second baseman would inexclibably tag up to try to score on Alex Bregman’s shallow fly ball in foul territory in right field. It predictably ended resulted in the Astros not scoring and the Nationals promptly took advantage, with Joey Menses driving in the zombie runner off of Seth Martinez to walk off the game. Honestly, it was a fitting end to the mess of the game that we watched today.