Astros Drop Split Squad Games, 3-0 to Cardinals and 3-1 to Mets

Spring Training games don’t matter all that much, at least in terms of the results. The process, or establishing a routine, holds greater significance than the final score. Well, that is how I view games this time of year, especially on the heels of two losses in one day.

Fresh off a win against the Nationals in their Spring Training opener Saturday, the Astros had a split-squad day, with one group remaining in West Palm Beach to play the Cardinals and the other traveling to Port St. Lucie to take on the Mets. If you prefer to watch multiple players within the organization — regulars, prospects, or somewhere in between — then Sunday’s games were the event for you. Unfortunately, while the pitching staff in both games looked solid throughout, the lineups were relatively lifeless, as the Cardinals won 3-0 and the Mets came away with a 3-1 victory themselves. Both lineups combined for ten hits and a lone run.

That was the quick and dirty of the split-squad games. To dig a bit deeper — as much as one could in Spring Training — there were some encouraging signs, specifically on the pitching side of the equation. For one, Hunter Brown threw two scoreless innings against St. Louis, allowing two hits and striking out two. Parker Mushinski also threw two scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out three. Non-roster invitee Wander Suero struck out three while allowing a walk in his lone inning. On the hitting side, Joey Loperfido collected two hits, both singles, in his first game of camp. Last year’s first-round pick Brice Matthews made his Spring Training debut, striking out once and drawing a walk. He also made this nifty play at shortstop to nab the runner at first, even if the throw was too high for comfort.

Against the Mets, Brandon Bielak had a bit of trouble in the first inning, allowing a run on two hits with no strikeouts. Ji-Man Choi drove in that first run courtesy of a double play following a first and third situation with no outs. A.J. Blubaugh would cough up another two runs in the third inning to make it an early 3-0 deficit. Much like the Cardinals game, however, the Astros bats did little, although most of the playing time was among the organization’s farmhands. The most impressive player in this game for the Astros was right-hander Rhett Kouba, who struck out four across two innings. Ryan Gusto, a 24-year-old right-hander who posted a 2.93 ERA/3.51 FIP for Corpus Christi last season, also threw two scoreless innings, striking out four while allowing a walk.

The Astros are back in action tomorrow at 12:05 PM CST against the Tigers in Lakeland, with top pitching prospect Spencer Arrighetti getting the nod with Jack Flaherty starting for Detroit.