The Astros started the day with a late scratch of shortstop Jeremy Peña due to health and safety protocols and ended on a happier note with a series win over the Kansas City Royals. It was a day filled with baserunners and frustrations, but at the end of it all the Astros head off to the west coast with a happy flight.
Justin Verlander picked up his league leading eleventh win of the season on a day that saw him rack up the strikeouts, but allowing more hits than you typically see in a Verlander start. It was all a microcosm of this series. Kansas City played the role of pest for four straight days, but the Astros found their way to securing the series win in large part due to the ace of their staff. If six innings of two run ball is some of your worst stuff in this game, you are doing alright.
The Astros struggled to get results against Royals starter Kris Bubic. Throughout the first four innings they managed just one hit and no runs despite having an average exit velocity over one hundred miles per hour against him on the day. Finally in the fifth the Astros bats woke up thanks to a game tying two-run blast from Jose Altuve and a solo shot from Yordan Alvarez.
The bullpen would follow Verlander's solid six innings with three innings of shutout ball from Phil Maton, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly to secure a 7-1 home stand. The club now hits the road for the next seven days where they will play three in Oakland before a day off on Monday and three next week in Anaheim.