Astros Blast: Home Sweet Home

There is no place like home for the Astros.

After dropping four of their first six games of the season away from Houston, the Astros made a statement in their first home game of the season by besting the Kansas City Royals 8-2.

This was a much needed win for the Astros as the team looks to improve upon its then 2-4 record. And at the heart of it all last night was starting pitcher Collin McHugh.

The 28-year old right-hander pitched seven innings while allowing no runs on eight hits and a lone walk. He also struck out four. This start also dropped McHugh’s ERA from a skyscraper high of 135.00 to 6.14. Amazing what one start could do to a stat line early in the season? But the key of the game was McHugh’s ability to put his forgettable first start in New York in the past as he set the tone that the Astros have seem to miss since Opening Day. In other words, there was a confidence about the team under the friendly lights at Union Station.

However, the pitching wasn’t the only encouraging sign behind the Astros victory Monday night. The offense for the sixth time in seven games scored four or more runs that provided the Astros pitching staff with more than enough support. But there wasn’t one hitter truly stood out; last night’s victory was an offensive blitz from all fronts. Five Astros hitters had two or more hits with two more getting at least getting one. Colby Rasmus hit his third home run of the season with George Springer and Jason Castro both hitting triples. Carlos Correa, Tyler White, and Luis Valbuena each contributed doubles to the cause.

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Overall, this was the type of victory that the doctor ordered for the Astros. It wasn’t necessarily a “must-win” game, but anytime you can pull off a victory against the defending World Series champion then that must be a good feeling. The only question is now if this level of play carries forward.

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**Statistics provided by Baseball-Reference and MLB.com**