Astros Take Royals 4-2 Behind Peña's Two Early Home Runs

Early Power Surge

The Houston Astros established a commanding lead in the opening innings on Wednesday, September 16, defeating the Kansas City Royals 4-2 at Daikin Park. Jeremy Peña was the catalyst for the early offense, hitting two home runs in the first three frames to give Houston a 2-0 advantage.

In the bottom of the first inning, Peña drove a 440-foot shot to left center for his first homer. He followed up with a 370-foot blast to left in the bottom of the third, extending the Astros' lead to 2-0 before Kansas City could answer.

Late-Inning Offense

The Royals managed to cut into the deficit in the top of the fifth inning. Nicky Lopez doubled to left, allowing Nick Collins to score and make it 2-1. However, the Astros immediately responded in the bottom half of the fifth.

Yordan Alvarez hit a 376-foot home run to right field, scoring Peña and extending Houston's lead to 4-1. The game’s final run came in the top of the sixth when Pasquantino hit a 376-foot home run to right center, bringing the score to 4-2 before the Astros secured the victory.

Pitching Performance

Hunter Brown earned the win for Houston, pitching five innings while allowing two hits and one earned run. He struck out ten batters and walked three. The bullpen maintained the lead, with Bennett Sousa, AJ Blubaugh, and Bryan Abreu each pitching one inning.

Josh Hader recorded the save, pitching one inning with one hit, no earned runs, and one strikeout. For Kansas City, Michael Wacha took the loss. He pitched six innings, allowing four hits and four earned runs, while striking out two and walking one.

Lucas Erceg and Jose Cuas each pitched one inning for the Royals, with Erceg allowing no hits and one strikeout, and Cuas allowing one walk and two strikeouts. The final attendance was 28,635. The Astros improve to 76-75, while the Royals fall to 66-85.

Sources

ESPN