Houston – A tough outing for the Houston Astros on Tuesday night as they fell 6-1 to the Colorado Rockies in the first game of their three-game series at Daikin Park. Despite a solid start from pitcher Hunter Brown, the Astros were unable to recover from a rough third inning that saw Colorado put up four runs.
Rockies Exploit Astros’ Mistakes
Colorado wasted little time getting on the board, scoring two runs in the third inning. Brenton Doyle started the rally with a fly out, but the Rockies then benefited from a series of errors and key hits. With Kyle Karros aboard after a single and Ryan Ritter reaching on an error by Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, the Rockies capitalized on the miscue. Tyler Freeman grounded out, but Karros scored on the play, tying the game at 1-1.
The Rockies didn’t stop there. Mickey Moniak followed with a single to right, scoring Ritter and giving Colorado a 2-1 lead. Moniak then stole second base, and Hunter Goodman put the game further out of reach with a 1-1 count home run to left, bringing in Moniak for a 4-1 lead.
Astros’ Offense Stifled
Despite several scoring opportunities, Houston’s offense struggled to find any rhythm against Rockies’ pitching. Their lone run came in the second inning, when Jesús Sánchez took a pitch from Colorado’s starter Tanner Gordon deep over the right field wall for a solo home run.
The Astros had other chances but couldn’t capitalize. In the second inning, they loaded the bases with two outs after Peña and Altuve reached base and Yordan Alvarez walked, but Christian Walker flied out to right, leaving the runners stranded.
“We had some good opportunities early on, but we just couldn’t string things together,” José Altuve noted after the loss. “We need to focus on staying patient and capitalizing on those situations.”
Solid Pitching from Brown, But Not Enough
Hunter Brown (8-8, 3.72 ERA) was solid for Houston, tossing five innings and allowing just two earned runs despite giving up six hits. However, the Astros’ bullpen didn’t fare much better in keeping the Rockies at bay. After Brown left the game, Steven Okert and Kaleb Ort entered to pitch in relief, but the Rockies added two more insurance runs in the fifth on Moniak’s double and an additional hit from Ritter.
Late Attempts Fall Short
In the later innings, the Astros tried to mount a comeback. Peña reached base with a walk in the seventh inning, and Carlos Correa also walked in the same frame, but both runners were stranded when José Altuve struck out to end the threat.
In the ninth inning, Dubón and Melton reached base with walks, but once again, the Astros couldn’t get the clutch hit, and the game ended with Altuve flying out to center, securing the victory for the Rockies.
What’s Next for the Astros?
The loss drops Houston to a 77-59 record, and they will need to regroup quickly as they attempt to salvage the last 2 games of the series.
For Colorado (57-78), the win provided a much-needed boost, as they aim to finish the season strong despite a challenging year.
John Steelman, on assignment for Four Point Zero Sports Media
