Houston Astros Jose Altuve (27) is seen in the dugout after grounding out during the ninth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros relief pitcher Bryan Abreu (52) reacts after giving up a 3-run home tun to St. Louis Cardinals Nolan Gorman during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros Shay Whitcomb (14) reacts after striking out with the bases loaded during the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros’ Taylor Trammell hits an RBI single during the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros Isaac Paredes (15) is seen in the dugout during the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) tries to tag out Houston Astros Carlos Correa (1) as he advances to second during the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros relief pitcher J.P. France (68) delivers during the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros relief pitcher J.P. France (68) delivers during the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) throws out St. Louis Cardinals Nathan Church (27) during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith fields a fly ball by St. Louis Cardinals Masyn Winn during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros relief pitcher Bryan Abreu (52) reacts after giving up a 3-run home tun to St. Louis Cardinals Nolan Gorman during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros center fielder Brice Matthews (0) tries to make a leaping play on a double by St. Louis Cardinals Alec Burleson during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros center fielder Brice Matthews (0) tries to make a leaping play on a double by St. Louis Cardinals Alec Burleson during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros relief pitcher Bryan Abreu (52) delivers during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros Taylor Trammell (26) is seen during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Peter Lambert (38) delivers during the first inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Peter Lambert (38) delivers during the first inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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during the ninth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros Jeremy Peña (3) fields ground balls before an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Peter Lambert (38) delivers during the first inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros third base Carlos Correa (1) fields a single by St. Louis Cardinals JJ Wetherholt during the first inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros center fielder Taylor Trammell (26) fields a single by St. Louis Cardinals Alec Burleson as JJ Wetherholt rounds second base during the first inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker (8) looks to field a fly ball as it sails out of bounds near the Astros’ dugout during the first inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros third base Carlos Correa, left, talks with starting pitcher Peter Lambert during the first inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez (44) hits a single off St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Leahy during the first inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Peter Lambert (38) reacts after walking his third straight batter to load the bases during the third inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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St. Louis Cardinals Masyn Winn (0) blow a bubble as he walks up to the plate during the third inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston. Winn graduated from Kingwood High School in Houston.
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Peter Lambert (38) delivers during the third inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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St. Louis Cardinals Masyn Winn (0) dives back to first during the first inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston. Winn graduated from Kingwood High School in Houston.
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Houston Astros Christian Vázquez (2) reacts while wearing the team’s home run cowboy hat after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) watches his solo home off St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Leahy run leave the field during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros Carlos Correa, left, gives a fist-bump to designated hitter Yordan Alvarez after hitting a solo home run off St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Leahy during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez (44) reacts in the dugout while wearing the team’s home run cowboy hat after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez (44) reacts in the dugout while wearing the team’s home run cowboy hat after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez (44) reacts in the dugout while wearing the team’s home run cowboy hat after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Umpires Alfonso Márquez , left, and Lance Barrett wait for a replay to appear after Houston Astros Cam Smith challenges a call using the ABS system during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros Christian Vázquez (2) challenges a strikeout call home plate umpire Alfonso Márquez using the ABS system during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston. The call was confirmed.
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Houston Astros Jose Altuve (27) hits a solo home run during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros Jose Altuve (27) reacts after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros Jose Altuve (27) reacts after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez, left, pounds Jose Altuve on the chest after Altuve’s a solo home run during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros Carlos Correa, left, celebrates with Jose Altuve after his a solo home run during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros manager Joe Espada, left, laughs with Jose Altuve after his a solo home run during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
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Houston Astros Jose Altuve celebrates in the dugout with the team’s home run cowboy hat after his a solo home run during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros Jose Altuve celebrates in the dugout with the team’s home run cowboy hat after his a solo home run during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros Jose Altuve celebrates in the dugout with the team’s home run cowboy hat after his a solo home run during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros Christian Vázquez (2) reacts while wearing the team’s home run cowboy hat after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Houston.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Three times Friday night, a Houston Astros hitter rounded the bases, returned to his dugout and donned the blue cowboy hat now being used to recognize a home run. Each swing energized the crowd at Daikin Park. None carried the consequence of one St. Louis Cardinals swing in the seventh inning.
Houston had trimmed an early deficit to one run and deployed Bryan Abreu to preserve it, underscoring the right-hander’s descent down the team’s bullpen hierarchy amid his early struggles. That Abreu might regain his footing working for now in lower-leverage outings is the hope.
That did not materialize Friday. Abreu retired his first batter faced in the seventh. His next two doubled and walked. Nolan Gorman, who had struck out three times on the night, wheeled on an inside fastball and sent it into the right-field seats, widening a gap the Astros never closed.
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Iván Herrera’s two-run home run off J.P. France in the eighth inning served as insurance to the Cardinals, who handed Houston a 9-4 loss in the opener of a three-game series. An Astros pitching staff that entered the day with the majors’ highest ERA on the young season, at 6.01, saw that mark rise.
That St. Louis’ two late homers served only as separation reflected a relatively quiet night by Houston’s lineup. It struck eight hits but took just seven at-bats with a runner in scoring position. Each of its three home runs — from Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve and Christian Vázquez — were with the bases empty.
The Astros did mount a threat in the eighth against old friend Ryne Stanek, who allowed an RBI single to Taylor Trammell and loaded the bases with two outs. Still, that did not bring the tying run to the plate. It did bring up the lineup spot occupied by Isaac Paredes, who had entered in the fourth as a pinch-hitter.
Paredes, however, did not take the at-bat. With the Astros trailing 9-4 and the bases loaded, they sent up Shay Whitcomb for only his fourth major-league plate appearance this year, inviting question of Paredes’ status. Whitcomb struck out swinging. Manager Joe Espada said Paredes’ “legs were not feeling good” after he pursued a foul ball earlier in the game.
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“Both legs just were not feeling great after a couple innings of play,” Espada said of Padres. “I (decided) let’s just take him out of the game and make sure that he’s fine.”
The Cardinals were more opportunistic. They were just 4-for-14 with men in scoring position, but two of those hits were the home runs by Gorman and Herrera, and another a two-run single from Masyn Winn. Astros pitchers walked four batters and hit two. Cardinals pitchers did not issue a walk until the eighth.
Both starters threw five innings. Peter Lambert, selected from Triple-A to aid an injury-depleted Astros rotation, made a mixed first impression.
Lambert faced 24 batters. Ten reached base. His third inning was stressful enough to spur action in the Astros’ bullpen. Lambert settled down enough to get through the fifth. He did allow four runs, leaving with the Astros trailing 4-3. He also struck out eight hitters and generated a high rate of swing-and-miss.
His counterpart, Kyle Leahy, allowed all three of Houston’s home runs. But the Astros did not capitalize on a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity against him in the fourth inning. And Altuve’s leadoff homer in the fifth, as a result, only trimmed their deficit to 4-3.
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Another rough outing for Abreu
Abreu’s last two outings had been encouraging. He threw a scoreless inning in a loss in Seattle, then got four outs in a hold Wednesday against the Rockies. He did walk a batter in that outing against Colorado, but he struck out two and preserved a two-run lead.
Friday, Abreu again struggled. After retiring Herrera on a flyout, Abreu threw a first-pitch slider that Alec Burleson drove to left-center for a double. He threw four sliders to Jordan Walker that missed the zone, perhaps being cautious with a red-hot hitter and first base open.
In a 1-1 count, then, Gorman beat a four-seamer off the inside corner. It was the fourth home run Abreu has allowed in nine appearances this season. Abreu allowed four home runs all last year. He has allowed 13 runs (12 earned) in 7⅓ innings to begin the campaign.
“I thought that was a really good pocket for him there with a few of those righties,” Espada said. “There’s a walk in there and then innings just kind of get out of hand. But the stuff is there, he executed some sliders. We’ve got to continue to give him opportunities and prepare him to pitch. He’s one of the best relievers in the game. And the only way we can tap into that again is to continue to give him opportunities.”
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Loperfido exits
After running out a groundout in the sixth inning, left fielder Joey Loperfido appeared to grab at his upper right leg. He was replaced on defense the next half-inning by Brice Matthews.
Loperfido said postgame that his right quad “just kind of got tight on me” on the groundout and he would have it evaluated.
“I’m not super concerned about it,” Loperfido said. “I obviously want to be on the field helping us win. Just going to get it looked at and kind of go from there.”
The Astros are already without center fielder Jake Meyers, due to an oblique strain, as well as shortstop Jeremy Peña, due to a hamstring strain. Houston has no healthy position players on its 40-man roster who are not already on the active roster.
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Lambert makes Astros debut
The Astros were intrigued by Lambert in spring training but did not carry him on the opening day roster. Lambert requested his release from his minor-league deal but re-signed with Houston and returned to the system. It took until only game 21 for the Astros’ rash of rotation injuries to usher him to the majors.
Three of Lambert’s first four batters singled, producing a run. In the third, he hit his first two batters and walked the next, loading the bases with two outs. Two strikeouts put him on the precipice of an escape, but Winn pulled a full-count cutter into left field for a two-run single. In the fourth, Lambert gave up a leadoff double, again got two outs, then allowed an RBI single to Herrera.
Lambert finished with a clean fifth. He threw 90 pitches and became just the fourth Astros starter in the team’s last nine games to complete at least four innings.
Intriguingly, Lambert induced 23 whiffs on 49 swings. He got nine whiffs on 17 swings on his changeup and another seven whiffs on 17 swings on his four-seamer. The 23 whiffs are the most generated by an Astros pitcher in a game this season and equaled the most any Houston starter had in a game last year (Framber Valdez), per Baseball Savant.
“Whiffs are always good,” Lambert said. “But I also gave up a lot of pretty hard contact and didn’t help myself out early in the innings. I think four of the five innings the leadoff batter was on. So just got to clean a couple things up going forward. But I felt good out there.”
Early move
Paredes did not start — despite the Astros still missing Peña — with Carlos Correa starting at third base and Nick Allen at shortstop. Espada said pregame Paredes was receiving a rest day and said postgame that the leg issue that cropped up in-game did not factor into Paredes not starting.
Espada deployed Paredes off the bench in an early spot. Trailing 4-2 in the fifth inning, the Astros loaded the bases with one out. Leahy struck out Vázquez, who had homered in his first at-bat, with Vázquez losing a challenge on a two-strike sinker that clipped the top of the zone.
That brought up Allen’s spot. Espada pinch-hit Paredes, who entered with a .208/.344/.283 slash line, off to a slow start. Paredes fell behind 1-2 and swung through a fastball from Leahy off the outside corner, ending the inning. He stayed in at third base, with Correa moving to shortstop.
Power pair
Houston’s two OPS leaders entering Friday both struck home runs in the third inning. Those were Alvarez and … Vázquez.
Vázquez is enjoying a surprising start at the plate. The veteran backup catcher, who had a career 77 OPS-plus before this season, had a .370/.393/.630 slash line in his first 29 plate appearances entering Friday. His five extra-base hits were already half his total in 214 plate appearances last year with Minnesota.
Leading off the third Friday, Vázquez turned on a 93 mph fastball from Leahy and sent it 357 feet into the Crawford Boxes. He became the second Astros player to wear the celebratory home-run cowboy hat that was unveiled Wednesday — at Vázquez’s initiative.
His swing closed Houston’s deficit to 3-1. Three batters later, Alvarez arced a first-pitch curveball from Leahy into the right-field seats. It was the eighth home run in 21 games for Alvarez, who awoke Friday leading qualified major-league hitters in slugging and OPS.