Author: /u/StevenJeon

Today’s statline: 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K

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At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 5 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan took the first pitch of the at bat, a slider right down the middle, for strike one. He then took a high fastball and a low slider, to get ahead in the count 2-1. He then got another low slider, right in his sweet spot, but he tapped it foul to put him into a 2-2 count. He then swung and missed at a high changeup catching the zone to end the inning with a rare swinging strikeout.

At bat 2 (Bottom of fourth): 6 pitch strikeout swinging

Once again, Yordan watched the first pitch of the at bat, but this time it was a fastball high for a ball. He then fouled off and watched strikes low for the second and third pitches, respectively, to put him in a 1-2 hole. However, then instead of caving in or swinging at a bad pitch, Yordan worked back into a full count by watching a low slider and a fastball to add two balls to the count. However then he swung and missed at another low pitch to again strike out to end the inning. A bad end to a pretty nice valiant at bat, hopefully his good discipline translates to tangible results later.

At bat 3 (Bottom of fifth): 5 pitch walk

Yordan once again watched a fastball, right down the middle to start the at bat off with a stone-cold strike. This time however, Yordan decided to become extremely selective with his pitches, choosing to take four consecutive low offspeed pitches to work the walk. Great job here by him to not swing at an obvious ball and instead get on base. Having two strikeouts in the prior at bats he could have been pressured to try and get a hit, but instead he decided to take what was given to him. He would go to second on a Correa walk, but Tucker grounded into a double play to end the inning.

At bat 4 (Bottom of seventh): 5 pitch walk

After getting almost exclusively offspeed pitches in the previous three at bats, it must have been a relief for Yordan to face the reliever Miguel Almonte, who threw him three fastballs. He once again watched a low fastball for ball one, but then swung and whiffed pretty badly at a changeup low to even the count. He couldn’t be fooled twice though, as he watched the exact same changeup for a ball, and then took two more outside low fastballs to draw the walk.

Today’s statline: 3-5, RBI

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At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 3 pitch single to right

Yordan started the at bat by taking a borderline fastball slightly inside for a strike, and then watched another one way outside to even the count. He then got a low offspeed pitch and launched it into right field, right over the shifted second baseman’s head for a single. Good job to work against the shift and take his favorite pitch into the outfield for a clean hit. He wouldn’t end up scoring though, as Correa struck out to end the inning and strand Yordan.

At bat 2 (Bottom of third): 1 pitch flyout to shortstop

This time, Yordan swung at the first pitch, a changeup outside and off the plate, and popped it up into shallow center field, where actually the shortstop Simmons made the play for the flyout that should have been a popout. A rare instance of a mishit and misread pitch by Yordan, hopefully he has better luck next at bat.

At bat 3 (Bottom of fifth): 3 pitch single to right

Yordan started the at bat by taking a pretty nice changeup catching the bottom part of the zone for a strike, and then fouled off a high fastball that barely caught the zone to put him down 0-2. However, once again Yordan got a low offspeed pitch he liked in the zone, and ripped it hard to right field, again out of the reach of the second baseman for a base hit. Again, a great job to work out of a 2 strike hole by getting the pitch he wanted and doing damage in his money zone.

At bat 4 (Bottom of seventh): 4 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan started the at bat by watching the first 3 pitches, all fastballs, but the first and third one caught the outer third of the zone (kinda questionable calls imo though) to put him in an 0-2 hole. Needing to protect the plate, Yordan swung at a pretty bad chase pitch down and away, and didnt come close on the curve for the second out of the inning. Pretty disappointing, but like most Yordan at bats that end this way I feel like the borderline calls kinda screwed him over in this one.

At bat 5 (Bottom of tenth): 1 pitch single to right, RBI

Just after having been screwed in the ManfredBall™ extra innings rule, Yordan came up in a key spot with a runner on third and one out in the inning. He once again got the job done against terrible reliever Daniel Coulombe, chopping an RBI single into right off a slightly mis-hit ball to score Altuve and tie the game up. Once again Yordan coming through big time in a clutch moment, he would be pinch ran for immediately after, but a great job to get the job done once again.

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Too lazy to do a pitch data today, but interesting to note Yordan’s different approach (3 singles, not many high launch angle hits) with Correa batting behind him and him batting third. Maybe he’s trying more to be a facilitator and keep the line moving instead of hitting home runs? Either way a great game from him, shame the Astros couldn’t capitalize in extra innings. Thankfully Yordan (and the Astros) will get two more games to rewrite this series.

Today’s statline: 1-4, HR, 2 RBIs, R

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At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 7 pitch groundout to second

Yordan swung and missed pretty badly at the first pitch, a slider inside, low and away, for the first strike. Kinda shocking to see him miss as badly as he did there. He then watched a fastball high and inside near his hands to even the count, and then fouled off another fastball in a similar spot to put himself down 1-2. Once again though, Yordan didn’t buckle and cave in on a two strike count, instead choosing to take another inside low curve and a high fastball to make it a 3-2 count, and then tapping a curve in the zone to protect the plate. Then on the 7th pitch of the at bat, Yordan made great contact on a low offspeed pitch and one-hopped it into the right field grass, but unfortunately, the second baseman was positioned right there and threw him out easily to end the inning. Pretty disappointing to see a good battle and execution by Yordan ending with a result out of his control.

At bat 2 (Bottom of fourth): 7 pitch flyout to left

Once again, the pitcher started the at bat off by throwing Yordan a low pitch out of the zone, but this time he took it for ball one instead of making a bad swing. He then took a stone-cold strike on a pitch where it looked like he was taking all the way. Then he watched a noncompetitive curve for ball two, and then another bad pitch to put him ahead 3-1. However, Yordan then fouled off consecutive fastballs on pitches in the zone to put him in a full count before hitting a high and deep fly ball to left that off contact looked like it had a chance to be a home run or deep double, but unfortunately was right at the warning track for the flyout, something that’s become common for Yordan over the last couple of days.

At bat 3 (Bottom of sixth): 5 pitch groundout to first

Facing the new reliever, Yordan took back-to-back curves, one low and one near his hands, both for balls to put himself ahead 2-0. However, then the reliever came out with a fastball low but in the zone that Yordan fouled off hard and a curve in the exact same spot that he whiffed on. Then on the fifth pitch, Yordan got an offspeed pitch low in the zone, and similar to his first at bat, hit it pretty well to the right side, but this time right to the first baseman who stepped on the bag for the unassisted out. So far it’s been a good day recognizing and timing up pitches for Yordan, but with not much to show for it, it does look like he will get another at bat in the ninth though so hopefully the Baseball Gods reward him this time.

At bat 4 (Bottom of ninth): 3 pitch home run to right, 2 RBI’s, R

In the bottom of the ninth, facing former A’s reliever Daniel Coulombe (🤮, dude was terrible on my MLB the show team), Yordan started the at bat by watching the first two pitches, a low curve and a low fastball, to set himself once again in a favorable count. Finally, on the next pitch, Yordan executed and got a great swing off on a low fastball in his barrel zone, similar to the location on the Victor Gonzalez home run he hit a couple games back. He just absolutely smacked the s**t out of the ball on that one, launching it almost 10 rows back in the upper deck for a no-doubt two run home run, scoring Brantley. A great job as always hitting the low pitch coming inside off a lefty, exactly like the Gonzalez bomb, Yordan took advantage of a lefty without intimidating stuff having to throw in Yordan’s comfort zone after working into a bad count.

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Total pitch data:

Fastball – 11

2 put in play (Home run and flyout), 5 out of zone, 4 foul,

Curveball – 9

6 out of zone, 2 foul ball, 1 strike swinging

Slider – 2

1 strike swinging, 1 put in play (groundout)

Changeup – 2

1 strike looking, 1 put in play (groundout)

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Once again, Yordan did a masterful job at cherry picking for pitches he could hit today. His great job particularly against curveballs and fastballs (11 balls out of 11 taken pitches between those two, 6 fouls on waste pitches) was magnificent today, and while the stats may not show it, his mastery of the zone in general today was outstanding. His great discipline and patience seemed to translate to tangible, important results especially towards the later innings, hopefully that’s a streak that continues throughout this series.

Today’s statline: 1-4, R

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At bat 1 (Top of first): 3 pitch flyout to left

Facing Scherzer for the first time, Yordan watched the first pitch, a curve outside and low, for a ball, and watched the next one fall right in the zone to even the count at 1-1. He then took the next pitch, a high fastball, and crushed it high and deep to left field, but unfortunately not deep enough, as it was caught just a few feet short of the outfield wall for a deep flyout. Definitely would have made it out in the crawford boxes, you can’t really fault Yordan much for his first at bat here. Correa would advance to second on the flyball, but wouldn’t score as Diaz struck out to end the inning.

At bat 2 (Top of fourth): 4 pitch single to left

Once again, Yordan took the first Scherzer pitch, this time a high fastball, outside for a ball. He then watched a questionable curveball called for strike 1, before swinging and missing at a fastball near his hands but in the zone to make the count 1-2. Yordan then got a curve way out of the zone and low, but he did a great job of staying on it and dribbling it to left field. With a normal defense that’s probably a routine groundout, but a good job by Yordan to keep the defense honest and generate offense regardless of how it was made. He would later scoot over to second on a Diaz groundout and score on a Tucker base hit.

At bat 3 (Top of sixth): 4 pitch flyout to left

Yordan started the at bat by chasing a fastball that was near the outer half of the plate for strike one. He then watched another low Scherzer curve for a ball, and then foul crushed another curve to make it again, a 1-2 count. Yordan once again got another high fastball in the zone that he crushed to left field. but again, it stopped just a couple feet shy of the wall, where Pollock made the routine catch. Another out that probably would have cleared the wall in Minute Maid.

At bat 4 (Top of eighth): 5 pitch flyout to left

Facing the new reliever, Joe Kelly, Yordan received an unhealthy diet of only knuckle curves, but unlike the Buehler curves from last game, Yordan did quite well against these. He watched the first one outside for a ball, took the second one right down the middle, watched another one way outside for a ball, and then tapped the fourth one foul to make it a 2-2 count. Once again, on the two strike count, Yordan swung and made good contact, this time on a low curve, and hit it well to left field, where once again, the left fielder was there for the warning track out that most likely would have been out in Minute Maid.

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Pitch data:

Knuckle curve (only thrown by Kelly) – 5

2 out of zone, 1 foul ball, 1 strike looking, 1 put in play (flyout)

Curveball (Only thrown by Scherzer) – 6

2 out of zone, 1 strike looking, 1 foul, 2 put in play (single and flyout)

4 Seam Fastball – 4

2 put in play (2 flyouts), 2 strike swinging

Cutter – 1

1 out of zone

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As the data shows, Yordan again did a great job recognizing the pitches and timing them up, he just couldn’t get them to fall. The great job he did against the offspeed curves he got today (no swings and misses, single and 2 deep flyouts) should confirm what the announcers say, which is that Yordan is one of the elite breaking ball hitters in the league. It’s a shame his hits weren’t falling though, as he might have had a 3 homer game if this was minute maid. His mechanics and expected results look extremely promising though, hopefully he can translate that to real stats soon, he should get a great opportunity to do so in the following series against the lowly Minnesota Twins.

Today’s statline: 1-4, HR, 2 RBIs, R, K

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Yordan played LF today and made some nice plays there, most notably a nice running catch he made almost into the foul stands on a Muncy flyout. Great to see him continue to play the field and contribute on both ends of the field.

At bat 1 (Top of second): 5 pitch flyout to left

Yordan started the at bat doing extremely well against Buehler, watching three high-octane fastballs, all outside by a lot, to work into a favorable 3-0 count. Buehler came back with a fastball inside the grazed the inside part of the zone for strike one, and then came back with another fastball right down the middle that Yordan swung oddly on and popped high into shallow left for the easy first out. A good job here to see Buehler’s fastballs and get a grip on the game, but I feel like he could have done a bit more on the fastball right down the middle he got for pitch #5.

At bat 2 (Top of fourth): 5 pitch strikeout looking

Yordan once again started the at bat by watching the first pitch, but it was a fastball right down the middle for a strike. After only throwing fastballs to Yordan in the previous at bat, Buehler whipped out his knuckle curve, and it pretty much neutralized Yordan in the at bat. Yordan swung and missed badly at the first knuckle curve way out of the zone, and then tapped another one barely foul. A high inside fastball gave Yordan a 1-2 count, but then watched another knuckle curve buckle right into the zone for the strikeout watching. A pretty bad result, but Yordan didn’t really get a chance to see Buehler’s curve well in the previous at bat, so an adjustment period was probably needed to see the pitch well.

At bat 3 (Top of sixth): 10 pitch lineout to center

Once again, Yordan watched a knuckle curve in the zone for a strike, and then fouled off a hard fastball outside to put himself in an 0-2 hole. While in the previous at bats Yordan caved and swung at bad pitches in counts like these, Yordan buckled down this time and had one of his greatest at bats of the entire season, fouling off offspeed pitch after pitch and taking outside pitches to make it a 2-2 count. Then on the 2-2 count Yordan got a nice juicy high fastball and crushed it into center field, unfortunately right where Taylor was for the tough lineout. A flat out amazing at bat (6 foul balls in total, didn’t swing and miss at a single knuckle curve) ruined by bad BABIP luck. That’s baseball.

At bat 4 (Top of eighth): 2 pitch home run to right, 2 RBI’s, R

Facing new reliever Victor Gonzalez, Yordan watched the first pitch, another fastball in the zone, for strike one. Then on the next pitch Gonzalez threw a slider that was supposed to be low and outside, but curved low and away inside, right into Yordan’s barrel zone. He crushed it 415 feet to right for a huge, no-doubt 2 run home run, scoring Correa. Great job by him here to capitalize on the low inside cookie, I originally sent this in the Astros discord before the at bat, thinking he wouldn’t be able to capitalize on the outside junk he usually gets from lefties like Gonzalez, great to see he proved me wrong. This felt like divine retribution from the Baseball Gods after being screwed his previous at bat, here’s a better view of it, just a clean, no-doubt bomb that silenced the crowd and essentially put the game away for good.

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Total pitch data (Something new I’m doing with the pitches Yordan saw, lmk what you think about it):

Fastballs (includes 4SFB, Sinker, and Cutter) – 13

5 out of the zone, 3 strike looking, 3 foul ball, 2 put in play (flyout and lineout)

Knuckle Curve – 5

2 strike looking, 1 strike swinging, 2 foul ball

Changeup – 3

2 foul ball, 1 out of the zone

Slider – 1

1 put in play (home run)

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As we can see by the pitch data, Yordan clearly had a good grip on both Buehler’s fastball and changeup, with not a single swing and miss on either of the pitches. He actually did quite well off Buehler’s bread-and-butter fastball, with both of his well hit balls in play coming off it. However Yordan just could not hit Buehler’s knuckle curve at all, as Buehler went a perfect 5 for 5 on strikes with the curve including a strikeout in the fourth. He did seem to see Buehler really well in the sixth when he started to tire, so maybe it was just him needing some reps to see the nasty curve clearly. Also his great zone control on the inner half, other than Buehler knuckle curves, cannot be overstated, as he did a masterful job navigating that quadrant to his advantage, including the decisive home run in the late innings.

Today’s statline: 3-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

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At bat 1 (Top of first): 3 pitch home run to right, 3 RBIs, R

Yordan started the at bat by watching a borderline curve tail outside for ball one, before watching a non-competitive offspeed pitch even more high and away to make the count 2-0. Having such a favorable count, the pitcher was forced to throw Yordan a fastball in the zone, and Yordan capitalized on the lazy inside heater by crushing it way back to right field for a huge opening three-run home run, scoring Altuve and Gurriel. Extremely good at bat by him here to capitalize on a pitcher just getting started and doing damage on a hittable fastball after taking the junk out of the zone.

At bat 2 (Top of third): 5 pitch groundout to second

The at bat started extremely passively, as Yordan took the first two pitches, both curves, for strikes. The first one was right down the middle but the second one was a questionable pitch made less so by the excellent framing by the catcher. Yordan then watched an offspeed pitch and a fastball on consecutive pitches in the same spot low to even the count at 2-2, and then again got a hittable fastball inside near his hands. This time however, Yordan chopped it right into the shift, where the jogging second baseman easily threw out a plodding Yordan to end the inning.

At bat 3 (Top of fifth): 4 pitch single to right, R

Facing the new reliever, known sticky substance user Hector Santiago, Yordan once again received all fastballs in his at bat, extremely interesting to see as all the Mariners relievers this series have been throwing Yordan exclusively fastballs, mostly to no avail. He took the first two, both outside and off the plate, to put himself in a favorable 2-0 count, before getting a pretty questionable strike called on another outside fastball that looked about half an inch outside but was rung up anyways. Finally after throwing Yordan 3 straight outside fastballs, Santiago made the mistake of throwing an inside fastball to Yordan, as he pulled it hard on the ground to the right side. The second baseman was positioned nicely, but the speed of the ball was too much and it squeaked into right field for a leadoff hit. Another good at bat here by Yordan to ignore the outside fastballs the pitcher was obviously trying to get him to chase, and target the inside fastballs he loves. He would later score in the inning on an Aledmys Diaz single to extend the lead.

At bat 4 (Top of sixth): 7 pitch single to left

Yordan’s fourth at bat did not start well, as he watched a fastball right down the middle for a strike and then had a rare bad swing at a fastball high and away inside. Needing to protect in an 0-2 hole, Yordan fouled off a high fastball in the zone, and then watched three outside pitches, most of them way outside, to work the count from 0-2 to full. With the turns tabled Santiago had to throw a hittable fastball, and Yordan threw his bat at an outside fastball and dumped it past the shifted infield for an opposite field single. While he wouldn’t score in the inning (Correa grounded into a fielder’s choice right after him) this was the most impressive at bat by Yordan by far to me, working back from an 0-2 count to a 3-2 count and taking what the defense gave him. Once again, it is worth noting that Santiago, with the exception of one pitch, again threw Yordan all fastballs.

At bat 5 (Top of eighth): 3 pitch groundout to first

Facing former Dodger Casey Sadler in the 8th, Yordan watched a curve low for ball one, and then took another one right down the middle for a stone-cold strike and even the count. Then on the third pitch Sadler induced a groundball out of Yordan on a low fastball, right to the first base side where the 1B made the unassisted out to end Yordan’s night. Overall a great night by him today, he was eating up the hittable fastballs the Mariners kept feeding him and spitting on the offspeed pitches. He also looked ok in the field too, although he was replaced by McCormick in the 9th he was moving well and doing good out there. Great game, hopefully it’s the start of a hot streak!

Today’s statline: 1-4, RBI, R, BB, K

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At bat 1 (Top of first): 4 pitch single to center, RBI, (later R)

Yordan started the at bat by taking an offspeed pitch way inside near his feet for ball 1, and then watched a borderline low fastball, again low, for ball 2. He then watched a middle-middle curve right down the middle (or close to it) for the first strike. On the next pitch, Yordan got a hittable fastball low and outside, but still in the zone, and capitalized on it by dumping it into the gap between center field and right field for a deep single. Brantley scored easily and Gurriel would go from first to third on the good hit by Yordan. Good opportunity here by Yordan to capitalize on a hittable fastball in his zone and bring home the first run of what would turn out to be a big inning. He would also later score on a 3-run home run by Kyle Tucker.

At bat 2 (Top of second): 4 pitch popout to third

After watching a high offspeed pitch outside and away for ball one, Yordan had strike one called on a terrible offspeed pitch that looked around 3 inches outside. Yordan couldn’t do much other than shake his head and wonder what the hell that call was. As a result of this error, he was forced to protect the plate and swing at a pitch outside of the zone and high next, in case the ump called it a generous strike two. Then on the 1-2 count Yordan got a low offspeed pitch in his sweet spot, but he hit way under it and popped it up, where the third baseman made the routine catch. Bad outcome, but like so many times this season I feel like the critical blown call set Yordan up to fail.

At bat 3 (Top of fourth): 5 pitch groundout to second

The at bat started with a classic Yordan take on a fastball high and outside. The pitcher came back with a low fastball in the zone that was caught for strike one, a pitch Yordan normally targets regardless of count or situation. A bit of a missed opportunity here, but he then watched an offspeed pitch outside to put him ahead 2-1. He then fouled off a slider hard right down the middle to even the count, but then the pitcher came back with a low fastball Yordan pulled to the right side of the infield, where the infielder was perfectly positioned. He bobbled it initially, but Yordan was plodding to first and was still thrown out easily to end the inning.

At bat 4 (Top of sixth): 6 pitch walk

Very interesting decision here by reliever Erik Swanson to throw all fastballs to Yordan here in this at bat. Yordan simply commanded the top of the zone here, with the first, third, and deciding sixth pitches all being high fastballs Yordan simply spit on. In between those pitches he also saw a low fastball for a ball and two Swanson heaters that caught the zone, one of which Yordan fouled off hard. Extremely good at bat here by Yordan to avoid chasing in a cold zone (high and away) and taking his base against a pitcher who clearly was afraid of using his offspeed stuff against him. He wouldn’t score though, as Correa popped out immediately after him to end the inning.

At bat 5 (Top of ninth): 6 pitch strikeout swinging

After a devastating bottom of the 8th for Yordan and the Astros, which included a heartbreaking lead-changing grand slam, Yordan batted leadoff in the ninth, looking a little shaken up. He started by watching two high pitches, a slider first and then a fastball, both for balls, but then he fouled off a fastball right down the middle he probably should have done more with. He then watched another high fastball to make it a 3-1 count, but then watched a questionable slider to make the count full. Then on the sixth pitch Yordan finally chased a fastball out of the zone, as he swung and missed badly on a high and away pitch to end his night. A quality offensive game overall marred by a depressing ending, pretty representative of the Astros and Yordan.

Today’s statline: 2-2, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB

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At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 4 pitch walk

Yordan saw 4 pitches this at bat, all of them balls, to take his base and load the bases. He first watched a low inside curve near his feet for ball one, and then watched another fastball, also inside but near his hands for ball two. He then watched another curve low to make the count 3-0 and then took a high fastball outside for the easy 4 pitch walk. Good at bat here by him, taking some tough pitches he probably would have swung at yesterday. He would end up moving to second on a Correa walk right after him, but wouldn’t score, as the next two batters made outs.

At bat 2 (Bottom of third): 1 pitch sacrifice fly to right, RBI

Yordan got a nice first pitch in the at bat, a fastball inside but near his hands, and he punched it hard to right, but unfortunately right to the right fielder who made the routine catch. It was deep enough for a chugging Brantley to score easily on and pushed Gurriel to third. Obviously not the best outcome in the world, but a good job by him here to analyze the situation here (no outs, need a run in this situation) and drive home the run and push the runners up. His smart sac fly here also allowed Gurriel to score on a sac fly by Correa right after Yordan.

At bat 3 (Bottom of fifth): 4 pitch single to center

Yordan started the at bat very much like how he ended the second, with an inside fastball near his hands that he fouled off. He then watched another fastball, this one high and outside to even the count, and then watched an offspeed pitch in the dirt to make it 2-1. Then on the next pitch Gibson hung a fastball low and inside but in the zone, right in Yordan’s sweetspot. He pulled it to center field for a clean single, unfortunately Gurriel, trying to score from first, was thrown out at home by a good throw by the center fielder. No RBI, but that shouldn’t take away from the good job Yordan did waiting for a pitch that he could handle and spitting on some good pitches from Gibson.

At bat 4 (Bottom of seventh): 1 pitch home run to right, RBI, R

Facing the new reliever, former Dodgers farmhand Josh Sborz, Yordan wasted no time getting ready, as Sborz gave him an easy inside low 97 MPH fastball in his favorite spot to start the at bat. Yordan rocked it to right field, around 5 rows deep for his 18th home run of the year. Just a great swing by him here, the replay clearly shows Yordan knew right off the bat where that ball was going right as he hit it. Also very nice to see him seek out and swing hard at first pitches when they’re appetizing, hopefully that’s a trend that continues.

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Overall an extremely solid game by Yordan today, doing everything from the little things (moving up runners with a sac fly) to doing the dirty work himself with a home run. He didn’t swing at a single bad pitch today, great to see his discipline and coordination at such a good level after some down games. Hopefully it’s the start of a hot streak, he could really use one.

Today’s statline:

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At bat 1 (Bottom of second): 3 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan started the at bat, like he always does, with a strike watching on a juicy fastball in the zone. He then got a terrible curveball inside called for a strike, just a horrible call by the ump there on a pitch that was several inches inside off the plate. With the ump establishing such a large zone, Yordan had to protect the plate, and as a result swung and missed at a fastball inside but high and out of the zone. Not a good at bat, but I feel like the crucial call on a pitch that should have tied the count but instead put him in a 0-2 hole kinda set the tone of the at bat and set him up to fail.

At bat 2 (Bottom of third): 1 pitch single to center, RBI

The next time he came up, Yordan wasted no time getting ready, as he swung early on a first-pitch fastball and lined it hard to right center field for the first run of the game. Good job here by him to capitalize on a fastball early in the count in a huge at bat here to push home a run and keep the line moving. He couldn’t score in the huge inning though, as Correa, batting immediately after him, grounded into a RBI fielder’s choice that forced Yordan out at second.

At bat 3 (Bottom of fourth): 5 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan started the at bat by watching a curve low in the dirt for ball one, before watching another curve in the zone to even the count. He then watched an inside fastball near his hands to make the count 2-1, and then fouled off another fastball (I think it was a fastball, it was 84 MPH) low to even the count again. Then on a 2-2 count Yordan sold out and swung for the fences on a curve low in the dirt for the strikeout swinging that wasn’t even close. A bad chase there, I feel like those have increased a lot since the all star break.

At bat 4 (Bottom of seventh): 4 pitch groundout to third

Once again, Yordan started the at bat passively, as he watched a curve and a fastball, both in the zone to make it an 0-2 count. He then watched a borderline high sinker ball before hitting a good grounder up the middle, but unfortunately right to the shifted third baseman, who threw out Yordan easily. A good process marred by a substandard result, pretty much the tale of Yordan’s night.

Today’s statline: 0-4

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At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 4 pitch popout to third

Yordan started the at bat by fouling off a curveball in the zone. He then fouled off another pitch, a fastball in the zone at 95 to make it an 0-2 count. He took a fastball high and outside to stay alive, but then got a fastball inside that he popped up to third for the out.

At bat 2 (Bottom of third): 2 pitch groundout to second

The at bat started with Yordan watching an offspeed pitch go in the dirt for ball one, before hitting another low offspeed pitch well to the right side of the infield. Unfortunately, the second baseman was right there to make the routine play and throw Yordan out.

At bat 3 (Bottom of sixth): 5 pitch lineout to center

Yordan watched a high fastball outside for ball one, and then watched another fastball right down the middle for a strike. He then swung and missed at a slider high but in the zone, before watching another high and out fastball to even the count at 2-2. He then hit a high fastball really well and it carried well to center field, but it was unfortunately caught for the tough lineout. A good process and battle forgotten by a substandard result.

At bat 4 (Bottom of eighth): 4 pitch double play to second

Once again, Yordan watched the first pitch of the at bat, but it was a changeup low for a ball. He then watched another offspeed, this time a curve, right down the middle for strike one. He then again fouled off a fastball near his hands to make it a 1-2 count before reaching for an outside offspeed pitch that he pulled to the second baseman, who initiated the easy double play.

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Obviously a tough night for Yordan, good to see his teammates pick him up and carry the Astros to a huge comeback win.