Daily dose of Yordan (Game 38)

Today's statline: 2-5, double, single, 2 K

At bat 1: 3 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan fouled off a changeup in the lower half of the zone and then watched a curve in the same spot. He then took a hack at a changeup quite a bit out of the zone and missed for a quick 3 pitch strikeout.

At bat 2: 3 pitch single? to second base

Yordan fouled off a high changeup and then took a fastball low for a strike. He then stroked a pretty good ground ball to second, which probably would have been a clean single without the shift. Kiner-Falefa got to it with the shift but bobbled it, and Yordan reached base. I'm not sure how the scoring official will score it, but it looked like a single to me.

At bat 3: 10 pitch double to left

The best Yordan at bat I have seen all season. He quickly went down 0-2 after 2 nice curves hitting the outside of the zone, but then adjusted and did practically everything right after that, fouling off 5 pitches, most of them though inside offspeed pitches that he could have easily struck out on. He fouled off a bunch that were opposite field but foul, until on the 10th pitch he took a fastball that missed and caught too much of the plate into the opposite field for a stand up double. Just a hitting masterpiece from him, great discipline and work to go from an easy out into an extra base hit.

At bat 4: 7 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan again had a great at bat, working from a 1-2 to a 3-2 count with more hard inside fouls. However this time he wasn't as lucky, as he ended up swinging and missing at a fastball low on a full count.

At bat 5: 2 pitch groundout to third base

After taking an inside fastball, Yordan swung away at another low pitch and hit a weak ground ball to the shifted 3B (I think), who threw out Yordan easily.

… Turns out they pinch ran for Yordan in the bottom of the 10th. I can understand it kind of since the Astros needed one run to win, but I don't know about taking your best hitter out of the game, especially since the Astros failed to score that inning.