The Houston Astros rolled to a 8-2 victory over the New York Mets at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on Saturday in spring training action. Yordan Alvarez paced the offense, going 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI, giving the coaching staff plenty to be encouraged about as the exhibition schedule continues. On the mound, Ryan Weiss turned in a solid outing, working 4.1 innings of scoreless ball with one strikeout. The Mets out-hit the Astros 11-7 on the day. The victory gives the Astros positive momentum heading into the final stretch of spring training. The coaching staff will look to build on the strong showing in the games ahead.
Key Performers
Yordan Alvarez was the standout at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI. His ability to drive the ball out of the park was the highlight of the afternoon. Performances like this give the Astros confidence that the lineup is rounding into form.
Joey Loperfido added to the attack, going 1-for-1 with an RBI, CJ Alexander provided support, going 1-for-3 with an RBI, and Chase Call also contributed, going 1-for-1. The depth of production throughout the lineup was encouraging to see.
On the other side of the diamond, Cristian Pache led the Mets offense with a 2-for-4 with an RBI day. Jose Ramos also contributed, going 1-for-2 with an RBI. Ben Rortvedt added a 2-for-2 with a double effort as well. Despite those contributions, the Astros pitching staff did enough to limit the damage and secure the victory.
On the Mound
Ryan Weiss earned the win after delivering a strong performance, working 4.1 innings while allowing 0 earned runs on 2 hits with one strikeout. He threw 53 pitches in the outing. It was exactly the kind of outing the Astros need from their pitching staff heading into the regular season.
The bullpen combined for 4.2 innings of work, allowing 2 earned runs while striking out four. Spring training gives the coaching staff a chance to evaluate bullpen depth, and today was an encouraging showing from the relievers. Each reliever is auditioning for a roster spot, and innings like these factor into those decisions.
Among the relievers, Peter Lambert stood out with 3.0 innings of 1-run work, striking out three. His performance was one of the day's bright spots from the bullpen.
How It Happened
The Astros struck first, plating a run in the first inning. The Astros tacked on three runs in the sixth. Mets countered with a run in the seventh. The Astros struck back with three runs in the seventh. The Astros added a run in the eighth. Mets responded with a run in the ninth. The Astros spread their scoring across four different innings, applying consistent pressure throughout the game. Mets out-hit the Astros 11-7, with 1 error committed between the two clubs. A crowd of 4,348 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
As the exhibition schedule nears its conclusion, the Astros can point to this game as a step in the right direction. The combination of solid pitching and timely hitting is exactly what the coaching staff hopes to see at this stage of the spring. The focus now shifts to maintaining this level of play with the regular season just around the corner.
