Sooner or later, a winning streak has to come to an end. I mean, I can’t complain too much as a seven-game win streak has essentially kept the Astros interesting for at least the next week or two. In a season that looked nearly lost not so long ago, Houston has managed to enter the halfway point with some forward momentum. But Friday’s loss against the Mets prevented them from getting above .500 for the first time all season.

Just imagine what this season would look like without Ronel Blanco. In a campaign when multiple starters have been lost to injury, or are still on their way to coming back, the 30-year-old right-hander has been the one constant, at least from a positive sense. A 2.34 ERA in 84 2⁄3 innings entering his start in New York. Unfortunately for Blanco and the Astros, the Mets were arguably the one team in baseball hotter than themselves right now, Grimace or not. It also didn’t help that Blanco didn’t have his best stuff and the long ball affected him, allowing three home runs total in 5 2⁄3 innings. Of course, Alex Bregman’s two-out error in the bottom of the sixth helped set the stage for Jeff McNeil’s three-run shot, which ultimately sealed the game for the Mets. Rafael Montero continues to look increasingly unreliable in any situation, allowing a hit and two walks in one (somehow) scoreless inning. Bryan King and Luis Contreras each made an appearance, but the game was over by that point.
At the plate, the Astros’ bats were relatively quiet. But Jose Altuve did hit his 39th career leadoff home run, which is always fun to watch.

But other than Jeremy Peña’s RBI single in the top of the third, the Mets’ pitching staff kept Houston’s lineup ineffective. The lineup was 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position, with Mauricio Dubón ending four potential rallies himself. Joe Espada was ejected following a questionable called third strike against Jake Meyers, although I’d argue that his ejection was likely brewing with a couple of questionable strike calls earlier in the game. Ultimately, however, the Astros lineup failed to materialize on numerous opportunities, of which there were plenty.

Now 40-41, the Astros turn to Framber Valdez to start Saturday’s game against Tylor Megill for the Mets. The Mariners are currently trailing the Twins 2-1 at the time of this recap. A Seattle loss keeps the deficit in the AL West at 4.5 games; a win increases the deficit to 5.5 games. Hopefully, Houston can capitalize on its opportunities on Saturday.