Astros look to get back to winning ways at home vs. Nationals
The Astros were swept for the third time this season, with all three of those series coming at home. Houston will continue its seven-game homestand on Monday against the Washington Nationals, seeking solutions for an offense that repeatedly came up short against the Athletics.
The Astros finished 3-for-29 with runners in scoring position and stranded 22 baserunners in the series.
"We have to make adjustments for the next series," Astros manager Joe Espada said. "We have to go through our game planning and be better in certain spots where we have people on base."
The Astros won the final four games of a six-game road trip that preceded their return home. They surrendered that momentum as quickly as they generated it against a last-place team, with another cellar dweller on tap.
"It's a series that we've got to put behind us, quickly," Espada said. "We walked, we got some people on base, we just couldn't get that bit hit. So we've got to flush that one out and get ready for the Nationals."
Left-hander Framber Valdez (11-4, 2.67 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Astros on Monday. He allowed one run on seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts over seven innings in a 3-1 road win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Valdez is unbeaten over his last 13 starts at 10-0 with a 1.86 ERA and 92 strikeouts across 87 innings. The Astros have won all 13 of those contests.
Valdez is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA in two career starts against the Nationals. He did not factor into the decision of a 5-4 home win on June 14, 2023, after allowing one run on five hits with six strikeouts over seven innings.
Rookie right-hander Brad Lord (2-5, 3.39) is scheduled to start the series opener for the Nationals. He allowed one run on six hits with one strikeout over four innings on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds but did not factor into the decision of a 6-1 home win. It marked his first start since May 6, when he allowed three runs on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts over six innings in a 9-1 home loss to the Cleveland Guardians. Lord made 26 consecutive relief appearances and went 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA. Lord is 1-4 with a 4.15 ERA in 30 1/3 innings over seven starts.
Lord will make his first career appearance against the Astros. He is 1-1 with a 4.08 ERA across 11 career games (one start) against the American League.
The Nationals won the rubber match of their three-game road series with the Minnesota Twins 7-2 on Sunday. The Nationals have won consecutive series for the second time in four weeks.
"It shows that we're beating good teams and that we're a good team ourselves," said Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams, whose leadoff home run in the first inning provided the ignition. "Just keep things going and bring it to Houston."
--Field Level Media
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Donald Trump unveils 'very strong' testing to stop male athletes sneaking into women's sports at 2028 Olympics
Donald Trump has revealed that there will be 'strong forms of testing' as part of his clamp down on transgender athletes competing in women's sports. Trump signed the executive order to ban trans athletes from women's sports back in February - with the United States set to host the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. It took many months but, in July, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee reportedly complied with Trump's demand in a major breakthrough for the President. Now, Trump has revealed testing plans over the matter. He was asked: 'Will the Department of Justice consider pressing charges against any man that tries to masquerade as a woman coming into this country to beat up American athletes? Would you consider genetic testing so these people can prove they're women?' Trump responded: 'I think there is going to be a very strong form of testing. As far as charges, I'd have to ask the Attorney General about that. 'But there will be a very, very strong form of testing. And if the test doesn't come out appropriately, they won't be in the Olympics'. Back in May, the president threatened to pull federal funding in California if the state did not follow the order, before suing its Department of Education when they refused to do so. The lawsuit filed by the Justice Department said California's trans athlete stance violated Title IX, the federal law that bans discrimination in education based on sex. The department also claimed the state's policies 'are not only illegal and unfair but also demeaning, signaling to girls that their opportunities and achievements are secondary to accommodating boys.' US Attorney General Pam Bondi warned other states that allow trans girls to compete in female athletics that they could also face challenges by the federal government. Last year's Paris Olympics was marred by controversy after Imane Khelif - a boxer from Algeria - was allowed to fight against women in the welterweight category despite intense scrutiny over her gender. Khelif went all the way and captured gold in the French capital, which sparked outrage given she was thrown out of the world championship in 2023 after allegedly failing gender eligibility tests. USA Fencing recently posted a new policy for trans athletes that will take effect on August 1. The governing body, which came under fire earlier this year after a female fencer was disqualified for refusing to face a trans opponent, will now restric trans women to only competing in the men's category.
Reuters
30 minutes ago
- Reuters
Reports: Shedeur Sanders to start Browns' preseason opener
August 5 - The Cleveland Browns plan to give Shedeur Sanders the start at quarterback in their preseason opener Friday at the Carolina Panthers, and ESPN reported Tuesday. The news comes just one day after Cleveland listed Sanders as its QB4 on the unofficial depth chart for the week and reportedly signed free agent QB Tyler Huntley. However, Kenny Pickett and Sanders' fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel are both dealing with hamstring injuries, and the team's other quarterback, 40-year-old Joe Flacco, does not have much to prove in a preseason setting. It's unclear how severe Pickett's and Gabriel's injuries are. Sanders and Huntley may split the workload at Carolina if the Browns do not plan to play their other quarterbacks. Sanders, 23, was widely expected to be a first-round draft pick and one of the first quarterbacks selected last April. Instead, he dropped to the fifth round, where the Browns drafted him 144th overall -- two rounds after they drafted Gabriel from Oregon. After a prolific college career playing for his father Deion Sanders at Jackson State and Colorado, Shedeur Sanders is battling for a roster spot. As of Monday, Sanders was the only QB yet to be given first-team reps. --Field Level Media
The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump creates task force to prepare for 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles
President Donald Trump on Tuesday established a task force on the 2028 Olympic Games being held in Los Angeles that he said would ensure the event is "safe, seamless and historically successful.' The 2028 Games will be the first Olympics to be hosted by the U.S. since the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. 'The L.A. Olympics is shaping up to be a wonderful moment for America. It's going to be incredible. It's so exciting,' Trump said as he signed an executive order at the White House establishing the task force. The executive order calls for the task force to coordinate security and planning for the Games, streamline visa processing and credentialing for the athletes, coaches, media and other visitors coming to the U.S. Trump will serve as chair of the task force, with Vice President JD Vance as vice chair. Other members include a number of Cabinet secretaries and administration officials. At the event, Trump praised Gene Sykes, chair of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee board of directors, for the USOPC's move to effectively bar transgender women from competing in women's sports. 'The United States will not let men steal trophies from women at the 2028 Olympics,' Trump said. He questioned why he didn't hear applause from the room when he praised Sykes for it, and then received some claps from some people in the room. Trump 'considers it a great honor to oversee this global sporting spectacle,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, calling sports one of the president's 'greatest passions.' LA28 president and chair Casey Wasserman said the task force "marks an important step forward in our planning efforts and reflects our shared commitment to delivering not just the biggest, but the greatest Games the world has ever seen in the summer of 2028.' Along with the 2028 Summer Games, Trump has said that the 2026 FIFA World Cup being hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico is among the events he's most looking forward to in his second term. In preparation for next year's competition, the governments of all three countries on Tuesday said they had held the first meeting of a trilateral coordinating council of government officials, industry leaders and security professionals discussing a variety of issues including preparedness for any security threats ahead of the World Cup. ___ Kinnard can be reached at ___
