There was a little of everything to complain about in this one. Want to direct your ire to the lineup amid another relatively listless performance? Go ahead. How about the pitching staff imploding? Be my guest. Or the missed third strike call on Patrick Bailey in the sixth inning? Why not? The new city connect uniforms? Hey, I can’t tell you how to feel about them.

The primary complaint about the Astros so far in 2025 will likely be directed at the lineup. I mean, what can you expect from a fanbase when you score only eight runs in the first four games of the season? The lineup will eventually hit again, to be clear. Too many talented hitters, especially at the top of the batting order. But it doesn’t make it any less frustrating in the present. If it makes you feel any better, Houston had six of the top ten exit velocities compared to the Giants with only four. The problem was that only two of those batted balls were hits, including Isaac Paredes’ two-run double in the bottom of the eighth.

Hitting the ball hard hasn’t been an issue for the Astros this season. With only three games of data prior to tonight, it’s important to take any sample with a large grain or two of salt. However, this lineup is stinging the ball a bit, though over half of that contact has been on the ground. Nine more groundouts today don’t help the cause. I’d be surprised if the club’s position atop the ground ball rate leaderboard changes after today.

(Note: Data above only through Sunday’s games.)

Jordan Hicks and most of San Francisco’s bullpen delivered an outstanding performance against the Astros. Hicks struck out six batters in six innings, allowing just one hit and two walks. He also set down 14 consecutive batters at one point. Houston hitters struck out a total of ten times while drawing only three walks. The highest exit velocity of any batted ball was 103.8 mph. It simply wasn’t their night at the plate.

Unfortunately, a lineup struggling to score runs places extra pressure on the pitching staff. Ronel Blanco performed fairly well for most of his start, allowing three runs in five innings. But failing to corral the run game on the basepaths led to his primary issues on the evening, with Luis Contreras eventually giving up that three-run home run to Wilmer Flores to make it 5-0 Giants in the top of the sixth. The no-call on a possible strike three to Patrick Bailey with two outs loomed large, setting the stage for Flores. You could also make an argument that Blanco starting the sixth inning wasn’t the best choice by Joe Espada, but what can you do now? In any case, the game felt done at this point.

On the plus side, Ryan Gusto finally made his Major League debut, throwing two innings of scoreless ball. On the negative side, however, Rafael Montero allowed two runs in an inning of work. Unfortunately, that was a disappointing sight, reminiscent of his past two seasons in Houston.

The Astros fell to .500 in the early season and now hold a 2-2 record. The Giants will start Logan Webb on Tuesday, while the Astros will counter with Hayden Wesneski, the Houston native making his debut with the new club. Tomorrow is another day, and hopefully, the team performs better.