FSA: Astros take Mets series

In the opening series of the MLB season, the Astros won the series against the Mets. Houston took two out three games. The Astros pitching staff was elite, however the offense struggled to score runs. 

Astros’ phenomenal starters

The effectiveness of the starters was initiated by Houston’s ace Framber Valdez. The Sabana Grande de Palenque, Dominican Republic native, started his fourth consecutive Opening Day start. Valdez threw seven scoreless innings. He allowed four hits and struck out four. 

In addition, the lefty sinker-baller had a 60% whiff rate on his curveball. 

Second year pitcher Spencer Arrighetti pitched a gem against the deep Mets lineup. He pitched six one-hit innings. He allowed an earned run, had three walks, and struck out seven. The only hit 6-foot-2 hurler surrendered was a Juan Soto double off the Crawford Boxes. He produced 12 swings and misses. 

Hunter Brown, who pitched game two of the series, also had a quality start. The Detroit, Michigan, native pitched into the sixth inning. He held New York to two runs and four hits. He also walked three and had seven strikeouts. Brown allowed a home run to Juan Soto, who seemed to have the Astros number in the three game set. 

Offensive struggles

While the Houston pitching was phenomenal, the Astros bats seemed cold. The 2024 AL West Champions lacked a clutch hit throughout the series. On Thursday, they were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. In Friday’s game the Astros were 0-5 with RISP. Saturday was more of the same, as the Astros were 0-for-4 with RISP in their 2-1 victory. 

Astros’ top prospect Cam Smith recorded his first major league hit in his first at-bat. Isaac Paredes was 1-for-9 in the series, but he did draw three walks and scored two runs. First baseman Christian Walker was 1-for12 with four strikeouts. Walker had hard line-drives turn to outs. 

The Astros square off against the Giants in what the boys predict will be another low scoring series. Tune in to the Full Seam Ahead to hear the upcoming pitching previews and the latest injury updates. You can find FSA on Spotify, Apple and YouTube.

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