The Houston Astros completed their third sweep of the season, all of which have been at home, on Wednesday night by polishing off the NL Central basement-dwelling Chicago Cubs.
In all three games, superior pitching coupled with strong plate discipline allowed the Astros to take the series. The Astros combined during the series for 21 hits, fewer than the Cubs 27, but managed to outscore the Cubs 15-6. In terms of batting this was in part due to their ability to draw 11 walks while the Cubs drew only 5.
Those stats, coupled with Bud Norris, J.A. Happ and Wandy Rodriguez’s ability to get themselves out of jams when it really mattered was key to the success bringing their record to 26-10 at home just past the quarter mark of the season.
The series saw a plethora of home runs. In game one, Jason Castro, Chris Johnson and Jed Lowrie all went yard while game two saw Jose Altuve do the same. In addition, J.D. Martinez seemed to find his batting groove again contributing the game winning RBI in game two and three RBIs in game three.
The Astros look to continue their success as they head out on the road, taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers beginning Friday.