Astros snap lengthy road losing streak, but deal with another injury

CLEVELAND -- As much as Taylor Trammell wanted to score, he knew the better option, the safer course, was to not make his injury any worse. No need to be a hero.

“Be smart,” he told himself. “It’s still April.”

The Astros are already hurting enough.

Houston snapped its long road losing streak on Monday night, but the Astros couldn’t make the pain stop.

Isaac Paredes homered twice, Christian Walker hit a two-run homer and the Astros ended their eight-game road slide with a 9-2 win over the Guardians in the opener of a three-game series at Progressive Field.

Carlos Correa had three hits and drove in a pair of runs, and Spencer Arrighetti (2-0) worked around four walks over five innings as the Astros improved to just 2-9 away from Houston this season. Walker snapped an 0-for-15 slump with his fifth homer in the first inning.

But while the Astros got a much-needed win, it came at a cost as Trammell suffered a left groin injury that will likely lead to him joining the club’s lengthy injury list.

Trammell was lifted in the fourth inning for pinch-runner Cam Smith after he pulled up while breaking toward the plate from third base on Brice Matthews' bunt attempt. Trammell ran a few feet before stopping, and he exited shortly after a brief visit from a trainer. The left fielder shook his head in disgust as he headed toward Houston’s dugout.

“When Brice squared around to bunt,” he said, “I took off for a second and I was just like, 'I'm going to do more harm than good, even if I score right here, it's not smart.'”

Trammell’s injury is the most recent for the ailing Astros, who have been ravaged by medical issues since before the season started. They’ve already placed 15 players on the IL, and Trammell sounded as if he’ll soon be added.

“These things happen, and I just wanted to be smart in that situation,” said Trammell, who said he first felt his groin tighten while sliding into third base on Dustin Harris' groundout after Trammell had hit an infield single and advanced to second on Yainer Diaz's single. “It did not feel good initially, but I'm optimistic it will be pretty good recovery-wise. I don't have any huge red flags or anything like that. I just want to get back out there.”

Smith replaced Trammell and scored on Matthews' subsequent double. Correa added an RBI single to cap a four-run inning for the Astros. Smith took over in right field, while Matthews moved from left field to center. Harris shifted from right field to left.

The Astros have gotten used to shifting around.

Their medical issues – along with some subpar pitching – have contributed to a rough 9-15 start. Prior to Monday’s game, manager Joe Espada tried to be upbeat while providing several injury updates and while hoping his team was finally finding some good health.

But along with the physical toll, the mounting injuries have weighed on the Astros’ collective mental psyche.

“It sucks. As a team, you feel those losses,” said Walker, who finished a triple short of the cycle. “Individually, we've all been there and you feel for the guy. It's about staying positive. There's a lot of talent in this room. We can win a lot of baseball games.

“That being said, I don't want any of my teammates to get hurt. I know what that head space is like, and I just want to keep guys positive and make sure they know the team needs them when they get back.”