LaMonte Wade Jr. needed a mere two pitches Sunday to deliver a pinch-hit home run that absolutely swung the game for the Houston Astros, capping off a 6-3 victory over the Mets and sealing a winning week in New York. This came after the week had kicked off on a tumultuous note for the team, but they never looked back after that blast.
Espada’s Bold Call Pays Off Big
Trailing by a run in the sixth with two outs and Yainer Diaz on second, manager Joe Espada made a gutsy move. Mets reliever Jonathan Pintaro, a hard-throwing righty, had been lights-out against right-handed batters this season, holding them to a .178 average. Espada pulled his starting right fielder, Cam Smith, and sent up the left-handed bat of LaMonte Wade Jr. for just his third plate appearance in five days. What a call! Wade didn’t mess around, crushing a cutter off the second deck at Citi Field. That pinch-hit home run, his third in 41 games with the Astros and the club’s third pinch-hit homer this season, immediately gave Houston a lead they never relinquished.
Bullpen Steadies, Bats Explode
With the lead secured, Espada leaned on his bullpen, and they delivered. AJ Blubaugh was absolutely locked in, blitzing across two innings and continuing his emergence as a leverage option. This guy leads major league relievers in innings, and he’s only given up one run in his last 17 frames. While Blubaugh was dealing, Houston padded their lead in the seventh. A walk, an infield single, and a hit batsman loaded the bases, setting up Daulton Varsho. He pulled a chopper to first baseman Jared Young, who stepped on the bag but sailed his throw home, allowing two crucial runs to score. Rookie starter Ethan Pecko also deserves a massive shoutout. After a potentially disastrous first inning where he gave up two homers, he recovered beautifully, facing 17 more batters and allowing just one more run over five innings. He earned his first major league win and saved Houston’s pitching staff during a brutal stretch of 13 games with no off day. Jeremy Peña also got things going early, leading off the game with a home run and adding a two-out RBI single in the second. When Josh Hader came in for the ninth, he was lights out, converting his 21st save in as many chances and extending his scoreless streak to 18 outings.
The Astros wrapped up their week-long stay in New York with a solid 4-2 record, taking series against both the Yankees and the Mets. Despite ownership parting ways with general manager Dana Brown on Monday, this team powered through. Houston is now a game above .500, maintaining a two-game lead over Texas with 25 games left on their schedule. This kind of resilience after a week like that? It shows you everything you need to know about where this team’s head is at. Get ready, baseball fans, because this ride just got interesting.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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