Houston Astros' Offense Hits New Low In Crushing Loss
All the Houston Astros had to do was score two runs by the end of the ninth inning on Wednesday, and they would have won.
Instead, they only scored one run, and they lost.
It's been that kind of season for the Astros, who dropped to 24-32 with their 2-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Wednesday night.
Houston squandered a magnificent performance by Justin Verlander, who racked up nine strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball. They also wasted a strong night by the bullpen, which didn't allow an earned run and struck out six over 2 2/3 innings.
Unfortunately, the Astros' bats were nowhere to be found.
They scratched out a run in the fourth inning but came up empty beyond that, marking their seventh straight game where they only scored in one inning. All seven of their hits were singles and their 14 strikeouts were a season-high.
The Astros have gotten three quality starts in Seattle from their pitchers, but have lost all three games. Offensively, Houston is 18-for-100 in the series with two extra-base hits, 33 strikeouts and four walks.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) May 30, 2024
That continues a dreadful series for Houston, who have lost the first three games due to their offensive ineptitude.
The Astros have managed just five runs and are batting .180 with two extra-base hits, four walks and 33 strikeouts. Accordingly, they've wasted quality starts by Verlander, Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown against their AL West rivals.
Granted, the Mariners have good pitching, but Houston needs to be better than this.
The Astros have now scored two runs or fewer in four of their last five games and five of their last seven, seemingly forgetting how to hit.
Houston will try to bounce back and salvage the series finale on Thursday afternoon before returning home to face the Minnesota Twins. The Astros will tap rookie Spencer Arrighetti, who's 2-5 with a 6.93 ERA over his first eight MLB starts.
He'll be pitted against Logan Gilbert, who checks in with a 3.06 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP through 11 starts this year. Gilbert is also 5-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 10 career starts against Houston, so the Astros will have their work cut out for them.
If Houston loses, it will be the fifth time the team has lost at least four straight games this season.
TYLER MAHER
Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.