Astros Manager LOVED Altuve's Bat Slam Before His Homer, And Houston Fans Are Acting Like It Matters

Alright, so last night, the same old song and dance from Houston, but with a weird twist. You know Jose Altuve, right? That guy. Well, he put on a clinic of pure frustration followed by absolute heroics, and his manager was, get this, *fired up* about the frustration part. He struck out twice against the Guardians, threw his bat and helmet into the dirt like a little kid who dropped his ice cream, and then, because of course, he flipped the game with a three-run homer in the sixth inning. It's enough to make you wanna throw your own hat.

The Little Guy's Big Turnaround (Ugh)

Look, I'm not saying it's a good look, but you gotta admit, the dude can be a problem for opposing pitchers. After that meltdown and the three-run blast, Altuve went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, powering Houston to a 9-3 win. And get this, that homer snapped an ugly 0-for-12 drought for him. Before Friday night, he was batting a pitiful .158 over his first 11 games since coming off the injured list back on June 5. Manager Joe Espada actually said, and I quote, "He knows he is better than what he's showing right now. And he's getting to that point where he wants to come through for the team, and we know eventually it's going to happen. I love the fact that he threw his helmet, by the way. That really fired me up." Can you believe that? Espada was literally cheering on his player's tantrum! Altuve wasn't done, either. He followed that homer with a 385-foot RBI double in the seventh inning that would have been a dinger in eight other ballparks. Espada even thought that double was more impressive because it was a 99 mph pitch up in the zone. So, yeah, he might be hitting .234 with 20 RBIs in 54 games overall, but last night was peak Altuve, for better or worse.

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Pitching Matchups and Guardians Woes

Now, onto today's matchup, where Houston is looking to clinch the series. They're sending right-hander Spencer Arrighetti to the mound, who's got a 7-2 record and a 2.57 ERA. But don't let those numbers fool ya too much. He was the pitcher of record in a 4-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals recently, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings. Plus, he's 0-1 with a 6.19 ERA in three starts this month, a stark contrast to his American League Pitcher of the Month performance in May when he was 4-1 with a 0.93 ERA. He does have a decent track record against the Guardians though, 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA in three career appearances, even allowing two runs in a 9-2 road win against them back on April 20. For Cleveland, it's left-hander Joey Cantillo (5-3, 4.38 ERA). He grabbed a 3-1 win against the Detroit Tigers last Saturday, but he's been struggling to go deep, logging six consecutive starts without hitting six innings. During that stretch, he's 2-2 with a 6.75 ERA, only reaching 18 outs twice in 15 starts this season. And he's 0-1 with a 7.04 ERA in two career starts against the Astros, giving up three runs in four innings last July. Oh, and the Guardians had a little drama of their own with Kyle Manzardo having back tightness, so they moved him to designated hitter and Rhys Hoskins to first base on Friday. Manager Stephen Vogt called it "nothing alarming," just a smart switch. So, a few pitching question marks, and a little injury report from Cleveland.

So, there it is. Houston will be trying to secure the series win tonight. We'll be watching, but our hearts, as always, are right here in the Emerald City, waiting for our guys to make some real noise at T-Mobile Park. Go M's!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.