Such a misleading final score on Thursday night (9-2). Atlanta’s seven-run explosion in the sixth inning—all with two outs, by the way—made the difference. Drew Steckenrider’s career earned run average rose by a full run, and his 2018 ERA nearly quadrupled from 1.08 to 4.24.
If you tuned out early, you may have missed the MLB debut of Rule 5 draft pick Elieser Hernández. The 23-year-old’s fastball sat in the low 90s and he mixed in a handful of changeups over two scoreless innings. Get used to Hernández because the club needs to keep him on the active roster throughout this season to gain long-term control (or else return him to the Astros organization).