Yainer Diaz’s second-inning single scored the Astros’ lone run in Saturday’s loss to the Guardians.
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Houston Astros pitcher Spencer Arrighetti delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Cleveland Guardians’ Travis Bazzana, right, celebrates with Patrick Bailey, left, after hitting a three-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Cleveland Guardians’ Travis Bazzana watches his three-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Cleveland Guardians’ Kyle Manzardo, right, celebrates with Travis Bazzana, left, after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes, left, tags out Cleveland Guardians’ Patrick Bailey, right, during the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros’ Yainer Diaz, left, celebrates near first base coach Dave Clark (23) after hitting an RBI single during the second inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros’ Yainer Diaz hits an RBI single during the second inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes fields a ground ball during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Cleveland Guardians’ Travis Bazzana, right, slaps hands with Brayan Rocchio, left, after hitting a first pitch home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Cleveland Guardians’ Travis Bazzana celebrates after hitting a first-pitch home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros outfielders Brice Matthews, left, Taylor Trammell, center, and first base coach Dave Clark talk before a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve signs autographs before a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros manager Joe Espada looks on before a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros infielder Raynel Delgado warms up before a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros first base coach Dave Clark looks on before a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros manager Joe Espada speaks with the media before a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Houston Astros pitcher Spencer Arrighetti delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, June 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
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Riding onto of the Oranje Dutch Fanbus sits a DJ who sports an Astros hat during the Oranje Fanwalk, hosted by Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond and the Royal Dutch Football Association, in support of the Netherlands as they prepare to face Sweden at Houston Stadium in Houston, June 20, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
A stabilizing force upon joining a reeling Houston Astros rotation, Spencer Arrighetti is enduring a rough stretch. Saturday, a lifeless Astros offense could not overcome his most lopsided line yet.
Houston’s lineup was held in check by Cleveland left-hander Joey Cantillo. A Guardians lineup that ranks among baseball’s least productive tagged Arrighetti for six runs, all scoring on three home runs. And the Astros fell 8-1 to end their three-game winning streak and even a three-game series at Daikin Park.
After clawing Friday to five games under .500 for the first time since April 17, the Astros dropped to 36-42. They retain a chance to win three consecutive series for the first time this season in Sunday’s finale, when they will start Kai-Wei Teng against Slade Cecconi in a matchup of right-handers.
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It will likely require more offense than they mustered Saturday. Cantillo quieted the Astros over eight innings of one-run ball, scattering four hits and striking out nine. He retired his final 14 batters in a row. Houston managed one baserunner after the fourth inning.
“That curveball — he leaned on it and it was a really good pitch,” manager Joe Espada said of Cantillo, who threw 45% curveballs and induced 13 whiffs with it. “We couldn’t make any adjustments against that curveball. It was a really good pitch. You’ve got to tip your hat — he had really good stuff today.”
ASTROS INSIDER: Homers overshadow ‘positives’ for Spencer Arrighetti
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The Astros have lost Arrighetti’s past two starts after winning nine of his first 10. That their offense has totaled one run in the two games is a leading factor, but Arrighetti’s numbers in June are also notable.
In his five May starts, Arrighetti totaled a 0.93 ERA across 29 innings. In four starts in June, he has a 6.95 ERA in 22 innings. His six runs allowed Saturday marked a season high.
Travis Bazzana, the Guardians’ leadoff hitter and second baseman, delivered the most damage. Bazzana hit two of three home runs Arrighetti surrendered, a solo homer in the first inning and a three-run blast in the fifth. Kyle Manzardo hit the other, a two-run shot in the third inning.
Bazzana finished with four hits and five RBIs, both career highs for the rookie. Cleveland totaled 10 hits. The Astros finished with five hits. Jose Altuve struck two. All five hits were singles, with Joey Loperfido’s one-out single in the ninth snapping a stretch of 15 in a row retired by Guardians pitchers.
Cleveland
AB
R
H
BI
BB
SO
Avg.
Totals
34
8
10
8
0
11
Bazzana 2b
4
3
4
5
0
0
.274
Manzardo 1b
4
1
2
3
0
2
.238
Rocchio ss
4
0
0
0
0
0
.269
Hoskins dh
4
0
0
0
0
3
.175
Schneemann 3b
4
0
0
0
0
2
.218
Watson rf
4
0
0
0
0
3
.000
Kwan lf
3
1
0
0
0
0
.207
Bailey c
4
2
3
0
0
0
.182
Halpin cf
3
1
1
0
0
1
.158
Houston
AB
R
H
BI
BB
SO
Avg.
Totals
31
1
5
1
1
11
Peña ss
3
0
0
0
0
2
.284
a-Delgado ph-ss
1
0
0
0
0
1
.375
Alvarez dh
3
0
0
0
0
0
.320
b-Trammell ph
1
0
0
0
0
1
.276
Walker 1b
2
0
0
0
1
1
.240
Loperfido lf
1
0
1
0
0
0
.250
Paredes 3b-1b
4
1
1
0
0
0
.238
Altuve 2b
4
0
2
0
0
1
.239
Diaz c
3
0
1
1
0
1
.243
Cam.Smith rf
3
0
0
0
0
0
.222
Meyers cf
3
0
0
0
0
3
.210
Matthews lf-3b
3
0
0
0
0
1
.206
Cleveland
102
030
200_8
10
0
Houston
010
000
000_1
5
0
a-struck out for Peña in the 8th. b-struck out for Alvarez in the 9th.
LOB_Cleveland 1, Houston 4. HR_Bazzana 2 (7), off Arrighetti; Manzardo (9), off Arrighetti. RBIs_Bazzana 5 (23), Manzardo 3 (26), Diaz (15). S_Halpin.
Runners left in scoring position_Cleveland 0; Houston 2 (Matthews, Altuve). RISP_Cleveland 3 for 4; Houston 1 for 5.
LIDP_Rocchio.
DP_Houston 1 (Peña).
IP
H
R
ER
BB
SO
NP
ERA
8
4
1
1
1
9
98
4.05
1
1
0
0
0
2
15
4.22
IP
H
R
ER
BB
SO
NP
ERA
6
6
6
6
0
8
90
3.13
1
4
2
2
0
0
24
4.22
1
0
0
0
0
3
16
3.78
1
0
0
0
0
0
11
6.39
HBP_Arrighetti (Kwan).
ABS Challenge_Hoskins (Strike-Confirmed); Altuve (Strike-Overturned to Ball).
Pitch timer violations_Cantillo (pitcher); Arrighetti (pitcher).
Umpires_Home, Vic Carapazza; First, Edwin Moscoso; Second, Jen Pawol; Third, Hunter Wendelstedt.
T_2:25. A_32,678 (41,000).
Long ball bites Arrighetti
Until Saturday, Arrighetti had largely avoided giving up the long ball this season. He allowed three total in his first 11 starts, none to left-handed hitters. His rate of 0.43 homers allowed per nine innings was sixth-lowest in the majors among pitchers with at least 60 innings.
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Cleveland, a club that owned baseball’s second-lowest slugging percentage entering Saturday and whose top two home-run hitters — Angel Martínez and José Ramírez — are on the injured list, struck three home runs against Arrighetti, all by left-handed hitters.
“Stuff overall, I thought it was good,” Arrighetti said. “Made a couple mistakes that got punished. Other than that, feel like I was in the zone a lot, competitive a lot.”
Bazzana drove Arrighetti’s first pitch of the game, a fastball, over the wall in right-center. The leadoff man also singled on a 2-2 four-seamer in the third inning, just before Manzardo arced a first-pitch fastball 388 feet to left-center for a two-run shot.
In the fifth, Bazzana came up with runners on second and third base. He did not see a fastball. Arrighetti instead threw him four sweepers in a five-pitch at-bat. Bazzana blasted the last one 406 feet to the seats in right-center to give the Guardians a 6-1 lead.
“I feel like the adjustments that I needed to make after (his last start in) Kansas City were made and just some stuff didn’t go my way tonight,” Arrighetti said.
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Entering the day, lefties owned a .188 average and a .222 slugging percentage against Arrighetti this year with four extra-base hits in 117 at-bats, all doubles. Bazzana and Manzardo nearly matched that number within a five-inning span.
Missed opportunity
Houston’s lineup created little action against Cantillo, who threw 98 pitches across his eight innings and generated 20 whiffs. It did not capitalize fully on its ripest chance.
The Astros opened the second inning with three consecutive singles. Yainer Diaz’s drove in a run, forging a 1-1 tie, and left runners on first and third with nobody out.
The rally fizzled. Cam Smith’s fly out to left field proved too shallow for Jose Altuve to attempt to tag up from third. Jake Meyers took a called third strike. Brice Matthews struck out swinging at a low curveball to end the inning.
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Houston did not put another runner in scoring position against Cantillo. Altuve tried in the fourth, when he lined a single to left field and motored for second base. Steven Kwan’s throw beat him there by about 25 feet for the inning’s first out.
On Burrows
Moved to the bullpen during this weekend’s series, right-hander Mike Burrows could rejoin the starting rotation during the Astros’ upcoming series in Toronto, Espada said pregame.
Houston will need a sixth starter at some point during a stretch of 13 games with no off-day that began Friday. Espada said pregame Saturday the Astros were still talking through their rotation against Toronto but that Burrows could start one of those three games.
Burrows, who has a 5.86 ERA in 14 starts this season, entered Friday’s game in relief in the ninth inning and worked a scoreless frame on seven pitches. Espada said that kept Burrows an option to start in the upcoming series, as: “If I want to use him in Toronto, I needed him to throw either yesterday or today.”
Injury updates
After facing hitters in live batting practice Friday, right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. will start a minor-league rehab assignment next week in his recovery from a shoulder injury, Espada said.
McCullers landed on the injured list May 19, due to what he described Friday as a rotator cuff impingement. It’s unclear how many rehab outings McCullers, who threw 25 pitches in the live BP, might require. He was 2-3 with a 6.86 ERA in his first eight starts this season.
• Ronel Blanco will make his next rehab outing next week with Double-A Corpus Christi. Blanco, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, threw three innings and 44 pitches in his first rehab outing in the Florida Complex League. He’ll likely increase to four innings and 55-60 pitches in his next start.
“He’s progressing well,” Espada said.
• Outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. and infielder Nick Allen, who are both rehabbing from hamstring strains, will ramp up their work next week and potentially start playing in rehab games next weekend.