Brian Bogusevic, former Astros outfielder and Space City Home Network analyst, joins Next Up to recap the Houston Astros losing 9-4 on the road to the New York Yankees on Wednesday. The Astros lose back-to-back games at Yankee Stadium, extending their losing streak to four and drop to a 12-24 record.
Spencer Arrighetti started on the mound, pitching five innings in which he allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks. Kyle Tucker recorded another home run, but Alex Bregman has only two hits in his last 20 at-bats and Yordan Alvarez went 0-5 at the plate last night.
The biggest issue with the Astros is the "under-performance by players who should be doing better," Bogusevic said.
As the Astros struggle early in the season, many have pointed blame towards first-year manager Joe Espada, but Bogusevic disagrees. "I don't see anything beyond a performance issue" from the players. "What would [another manager] come in and do?"
J.P. France joined other starting pitchers on the injured list earlier in the week, but Cristian Javier is expected to return to the mound this weekend. If the Astros want to go on an extended-winning streak, "it probably starts with starting pitching."