Game Recap 8/1/23 | Guardians No Hit and Lose to the Astros 2-0

Post-Game Live Recap

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3 Things About Guardians Loss to the Houston Astros

1 – No hits 

One walk by Oscar Gonzalez was it for the Guardians offense on Tuesday night. 

2 – No Emotion and fight

Multiple hitters took the first pitch for a strike, no adjustments, and a lot of soft outs in the infield on the night.  No pressure was put on the Astros whatsoever. 

3 – Gavin and Xzavion 

Gavin Williams and Xzavion Curry pitched well on the night, they both showed some competitive fire on the mound.

OVERALL

Look this is unacceptable for a team that could still win the division.  Just not good enough to not get a hit against the starter Framber Valdez, who yes pitched great tonight, but Cleveland needs to show more fight and competitiveness.  Hopefully, this is the wake-up call for the Guards as the team looked checked out on Tuesday. 

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Game Summary

Framber Valdez secured the 16th no-hitter in the history of the Houston Astros as they clinched a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on a Tuesday night.

Shortly after the Astros reacquired their ace, Justin Verlander, from the New York Mets, Valdez showcased his brilliance on the mound. He permitted only one baserunner through a walk in the fifth inning but managed to face the minimum due to a double play in that frame.

In the ninth inning, Gabriel Arias grounded out, followed by Myles Straw’s line out to center field. Cam Gallagher then hit a liner to Jeremy Pena, sealing the no-hitter and igniting an exuberant celebration.

Valdez, a 29-year-old from the Dominican Republic, had previously pitched five complete games, including two complete game shutouts, prior to this remarkable performance.

This no-hitter marked the third one in the majors during that season. The first was a perfect game pitched by New York Yankees’ Domingo Germán against Oakland on June 28, and the second was a combined no-hitter thrown by Matt Manning, Alex Lange, and Jason Foley of the Detroit Tigers against Toronto on July 8.

It was Houston’s first no-hitter during the regular season since Cristian Javier, Hector Neris, and Ryan Pressly combined for a no-hit game against the Yankees on June 25, 2022. Additionally, it was the first no-hitter by a single pitcher for the Astros since Verlander’s performance against Toronto on September 1, 2019.

In this game, Kyle Tucker played a crucial role, driving in two runs with a single in the third inning.

Valdez had a dominant start, retiring the first 12 batters with six strikeouts. He managed to preserve the no-hitter despite allowing a walk in the fifth inning due to a double play.

Throughout the rest of the game, Valdez demonstrated exceptional control, retiring batters with groundouts and a timely strikeout.

He threw 93 pitches, with 65 of them being strikes, highlighting his accuracy and efficiency on the mound.

This outstanding performance by Valdez came after a challenging outing in his last game, where he gave up eight hits and six runs in 3 2/3 innings during a 13-5 loss to Texas.

The Astros’ offense was led by Jake Meyers, who singled to start the third inning but was later caught stealing. Jose Altuve and Jeremy Peña followed with a single and a walk, respectively, and both advanced a base on a wild pitch by Williams. Kyle Tucker’s clutch single then drove in both runners, giving the Astros the 2-0 lead they needed for victory.

Cleveland’s rookie starter, Gavin Williams, pitched well but ended up with the loss after allowing four hits and two runs over five innings.

Interestingly, Josh Bell, who was initially in Cleveland’s lineup, was scratched due to a late deal that sent him to Miami in exchange for infielder Jean Segura and infield prospect Kahlil Watson.

Up Next

Tue 8/2 2:10 PM EST – Series Finale at Houston Astros