Houston Astros Sign Versatile Free Agent Outfielder
It was their 12th loss in the past 14 games and their third sweep in the past four series.
The decisive blow came in the top of the 10th inning.
Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn pulled a bases-loaded fastball from reliever Bryan King down the left-field line for a three-run double.
Houston had tied the game in the eighth when Isaac Paredes punched a two-run single to right-center off closer Riley O'Brien, who had entered with a 0.00 ERA in 11 outings.
In the bottom of the 10th, a Taylor Trammell infield single brought the tying run to the plate with Yordan Alvarez looming behind him.
The Cardinals went after Alvarez for eight pitches before Winn, playing right where the ball was hit, caught a liner back up the middle to strand him.
A groundout from Christian Walker ended it.
"I like to focus on the fact that we fought until the end," manager Joe Espada said. "Our offense stayed in the game and we had a shot to win that game, and that's important for us."
A Roster Getting Thinner
The on-field problems are compounding fast, and the front office is trying to patch holes on the fly.
Joey Loperfido is on the 10-day injured list with a quad strain. Jake Meyers and Zach Dezenzo are also on the IL. Houston already selected Taylor Trammell's contract this month to address the outfield shortage, and claimed Dustin Harris off waivers from the White Sox just on Saturday.
The Astros have also signed outfielder Daniel Johnson to a minor league contract.
Johnson, 30, was released by the Marlins a couple of weeks ago after a previous minor league stint with them.
He is a left-handed hitter who can play all three outfield positions, two things the Astros genuinely need right now.
Their active roster is packed with right-handed bats, and with Loperfido being one of the few lefty options, losing him creates a real hole in the lineup balance.
Johnson's major league track record is thin. He has appeared in 67 career games with a .196/.243/.322 slash line and five home runs across 152 plate appearances.
His best season came in 2025, when he hit .189/.246/.302 over 57 plate appearances with the Giants and Orioles.
He is not going to fix anything at the big league level, but he brings speed and defensive versatility to Triple-A Sugar Land and could serve as emergency depth if the injury situation worsens further.
The Bigger Picture
The rotation problems are just as serious as the outfield situation.
Framber Valdez left in free agency this winter. Cristian Javier is on the IL with a Grade 2 shoulder strain. Hunter Brown is also shelved.
Tatsuya Imai, the club's marquee free-agent addition, has struggled to adjust both on and off the field. The Athletic's Chandler Rome reported he has cycled through three interpreters in a short time, noting that it sounds like a player struggling to adapt to his new environment.
Yordan Alvarez remains an absolute force, leading the majors in home runs, slugging, and OPS through 23 games.
But one elite bat can only carry a team so far.
Carlos Correa put it plainly after Sunday's loss. "We've got to analyze more and see where everything's going wrong in terms of pretty much everything," Correa said. "Definitely we've got to look at each other in the mirror and see what things we can do better."
The Astros now head to Cleveland for a series against the Guardians at the end of a stretch of 13 games without a day off.
Photo Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images