Houston Astros Halt Losing Skid, Avoid Sweep By Tigers

The Houston Astros won the final of a three-game series with the Detroit Tigers to end their losing streak and avoid a sweep.

Kade Kistner | Apr 5, 2023

Houston Astros Halt Losing Skid, Avoid Sweep By Tigers /

In this story:

The Houston Astros (3-4) needed to win Wednesday's game. No, not because a 2-5 record looks unsightly, or because it would have been a sweep, it's a long season and this is the Houston Astros after all. But they needed to win Wednesday to show that this team, a new iteration of this dynasty, can stop a skid and keep fighting.

They did against the Detroit Tigers (2-3) Wednesday afternoon in 8-2 fashion.

Starting pitcher Cristian Javier got back on track as he turned in a gem of a performance. Javier tossed 6.0 innings of one-run baseball while striking out six. It was his first quality start of the season.

Houston's offense also started clicking. It's nice when both the pitching and the offense are on the same page.

Outfielder Chas McCormick hit his first home run of the season to give the Astros an early lead. It was a two-run home run in the second and gave Javier plenty of cushion to work with.

Kyle Tucker also added his third blast of the season, a solo shot in the fourth to bring the Astros' lead to 3-1.

Houston piled on two more runs in the seventh when Yordan Álvarez recorded an RBi with a sac fly that scored shortstop Jeremy Peña making it 5-1.

Tucker wasn't satisfied with just a home run on the afternoon, so he recorded an RBI-double that scored third baseman Alex Bregman.

It was nice to see the offensive output from the lineup after having struggled against the Tigers pitching staff in the first two games.

Javier's performance was also encouraging as he will be heavily relied upon to step up in this new-look rotation. He has the talent to be great and he executed on Wednesday.

Now, the Astros will travel to Minnesota to face the Twins in a three-game series that will now begin on Friday after Thursday's game was postponed due to weather.

They will then travel to face the Pittsburgh Pirates before returning home to Minute Maid Park next Friday where they will host the Texas Rangers.

More From SI's Inside The Astros:

Make sure to follow Inside the Astros on Twitter @InsideAstrosSI!

Published Apr 5, 2023

KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.