The Houston Astros had the Milwaukee Brewers right where they wanted them. Bases loaded, ninth inning, tie game, home crowd at Daikin Park. They went 0-for-2 and didn’t score.
It was that kind of night.
Cam Smith had been the best thing Houston had going. He homered in the second with a solo shot to left-center and doubled in the fourth to score Yordan Alvarez and push the lead to 4-1. Alvarez had walked, Christian Walker reached on a throwing error by Luis Rengifo, and Smith lined one to right to score Alvarez. Walker then scored on a Jake Meyers RBI double, and Nick Allen’s sacrifice fly capped the frame.
Kai-Wei Teng held that lead into the fifth before Jackson Chourio cut it to one. With Christian Yelich aboard after a walk, aided by an overturned ABS call, Chourio launched a two-run homer to center field that made it 4-3. Teng finished with seven strikeouts over five innings but allowed three earned runs and two home runs. The first came in the third, when David Hamilton hit a solo shot that briefly tied the game.
Steven Okert handed Houston two clean innings in relief, capped by a pickoff of Garrett Mitchell to end the sixth. Then Bryan Abreu entered in the eighth with a 4-3 lead and issued back-to-back walks to Chourio and Brice Turang. Bryan King replaced him, got a flyout—Chourio advancing to third—and then surrendered the tying run on a Jake Bauers groundout. Houston’s three-run lead was gone.
The ninth felt like it was setting up differently. Jeremy Peña reached on a throwing error by shortstop Joey Ortiz. Meyers singled. Allen bunted them both over. The Brewers intentionally walked Christian Vázquez to load the bases, setting up Brice Matthews and Isaac Paredes with the game on the line.
Matthews struck out. Paredes popped to second. The Astros stranded eight runners and wasted their best chance to win the game.
Alimber Santa, fresh off the team no-hitter Monday, worked the tenth and nearly escaped. He got Chourio to fly out, but Yelich tagged and advanced to third. Turang’s sacrifice fly to right, caught by Smith, who had no play at the plate, put Milwaukee ahead for good. Santa struck out William Contreras, but the damage was done.
Houston still had one final chance. With Zach Dezenzo on third and one out in the bottom of the tenth, Smith went down on a check-swing call that home plate umpire James Jean ruled a strike. The Daikin Park crowd made its opinion known. Two pitches later, the game was over. Brewers 5, Astros 4.
The series continues Saturday afternoon at Daikin Park. Peter Lambert will start for the Astros against Brandon Sproat.
Heading to Daikin Park soon? Check the Astros promotions schedule before your next game.