Astros 7, Cubs 4: Round 1 to Houston

It was not a good day for Cade Horton and the Cubs.

Before Friday’s game, the Astros ran a tribute to Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly on their video board:

And the two gave heartfelt acknowledgements to the Houston fans [VIDEO].

After that, though, two of the players the Astros acquired in the Tucker trade, Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith, combined to go 4-for-9 with a home run and three RBI as the Astros dismantled the Cubs 7-4.

It could have been worse, too. Cade Horton did not have a good night, and in the first two innings allowed a lot of traffic on the bases.

In the first, with Smith and Paredes on first and second respectively, Jake Meyers singled. Tucker threw Paredes out at the plate [VIDEO].

This was just hours after I posted this article critical of Tucker’s defense. Hey, whatever it takes. Quite the rapid throw there, Kyle! [VIDEO]

You knew that perhaps it wouldn’t be the Cubs’ night after Dansby Swanson led off the second with a triple, but was stranded.

The Cubs flashed more glove in the bottom of the second. Houston loaded the bases with two out on a single, walk and Jeremy Peña being hit by a pitch.

Then Ian Happ flashed some glove [VIDEO].

Still, there was a nagging feeling that Horton didn’t have it and the Cubs offense was more or less going to be stymied by journeyman lefthander Brandon Walter.

The Cubs nearly did get out of a dangerous third inning. The Astros again loaded the bases on two walks and a single — man, those walks are always killers, aren’t they?

Old friend Victor Caratini gave the Astros a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly. Then Yainer Diaz smashed a three-run homer and Houston led 4-0.

About the run on the sac fly, from BCB’s JohnW53:

The sacrifice fly that scored the Astros’ first run in the third inning snapped the Cubs’ scoreless-innings streak at 24⅓ innings, going back to a one-out sac fly in the fourth inning Tuesday at St. Louis.

In the fourth, singles by Paredes and Jose Altuve with one out set the stage for Smith, who hit his sixth home run of the year to give Houston a 7-0 lead. Smith is an impressive player; to have done what he’s done so far at age 22 with only 32 professional games before 2025 is quite the achievement. Props to him for making the big leagues with that little experience, and producing.

It wasn’t Horton’s night, obviously, all the early traffic had him at 80 pitches through four innings, including four walks, and he departed after that inning. This was the worst start of his brief MLB career.

The Cubs got on the board in the fifth on Nico Hoerner’s second home run of the year (and of this road trip) [VIDEO].

The Cubs plated two more in the seventh. Carson Kelly led off with a single and Nico walked. One out later, Matt Shaw doubled in both runners [VIDEO].

With one out, you had the sense that if the Cubs could push one or two more across the plate in this inning, they might make an improbable comeback. Alas, it was not to be: Happ struck out and Tucker popped up to end the inning.

One last Cubs run crossed the plate in the ninth. Kelly led off with a walk and two outs later, took second on defensive indifference and third on a wild pitch.

Shaw hit another double, scoring Kelly {VIDEO].

That did accomplish something, at least — it forced the Astros to bring in Josh Hader to close things out, which he did by getting Happ to line to center. But for a game they led 7-0, Houston manager Joe Espada probably didn’t want to have to use his leverage relievers.

Also, a big thank you to Chris Flexen, who threw four shutout innings in relief of Horton. Flexen allowed only two hits on a fairly efficient 50 pitches. That probably takes him out of the rest of this series, but he saved the rest of the bullpen. It was the Cubs’ longest true relief appearance (in other words, not a pitcher following an opener) since Hayden Wesneski threw four innings in relief of Jordan Wicks April 17, 2024 against the Diamondbacks.

Here are comments from Pressly, Tucker and Craig Counsell on the two players’ return to Houston [VIDEO].

The Astros are a good team and the Cubs didn’t have the pitching or hitting to win this one. Hopefully, Saturday’s game will be better. Everyone else in the NL Central won Friday night so the Cubs’ lead over the Brewers is two games, over the Cardinals 3½ and over the Reds, five.

Colin Rea will start for the Cubs Saturday evening and Lance McCullers Jr. returns from the injured list to start for the Astros. Game time is 6:15 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Fox-TV (regional — coverage map). A reminder that if you subscribe to MLB.TV or MLB Extra Innings, you can watch tonight’s game via those services even if it’s not on the Fox affiliate in your market.