Houston scored double digits

Astros' bats provide fireworks Friday in opener against Blue Jays

Astros' Yuli Gurriel
Yuli Gurriel had a monster night at the plate Friday. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images.

Yuli Gurriel had a monster night at the plate Friday.

Although they lost the series 2-1, the Astros ended their road trip with a nice win over the Yankees to head home on a positive note. On Friday, they welcomed in the Toronto Blue Jays and former teammate George Springer, currently on the IL, to start a three-game series and long homestand. They had an excellent night at the plate, along with a strong start from Jose Urquidy, cruising past the Blue Jays to take the opener.

Final Score: Astros 10, Blue Jays 4

Astros' Record: 17-15, third in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Jose Urquidy (3-2)

Losing Pitcher: Ross Stripling (0-2)

Jays strike first, then Houston responds and never looks back

It first appeared that Urquidy may be in for a long night, giving up two solo home runs early in Friday's game, one to Bo Bichette in the top of the first with one out to put Toronto up 1-0, then another to Danny Jansen in the top of the third. However, Urquidy would lock-in, and his offense would back him up strongly.

Houston ended up sending nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the second, getting two runs on a homer by Carlos Correa, then later loading the bases to set up an RBI walk by Alex Bregman. In the bottom of the fifth, with a one-run lead at 3-2, Yuli Gurriel expanded the lead to three runs on a two-run shot.

Gurriel went on to have a fantastic night, going 4-for-4 at the plate with 4 RBI. His third of those came in the bottom of the seventh, extending the lead again with an RBI single to make it 6-2. Kyle Tucker made it a five-run game that same inning with an RBI double, then more insurance came in the bottom of the eighth. They reached double-digits that inning, with Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, and Yuli Gurriel, his fourth of the night, all getting an RBI to make it 10-2.

Urquidy finishes seven, then Emanuel finishes it off

Those gave Urquidy plenty of support, though he would bounce back after the two early homers and have a nice night on the mound. He allowed just two other hits, working around both, en route to a seven-inning two-run performance to earn him the win. His final line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HR, 84 P.

He likely could have gone longer, but Dusty Baker turned the ball over to Kent Emanuel to wrap things up with the significant lead. He did so, despite allowing a two-run home run to former-Astro Teoscor Hernandez in the top of the ninth to make the score 10-4. The win kept the Astros above .500 and two games back of the A's, who sit atop the AL West standings.

Up Next: The middle game of this series will be a 6:10 PM start Saturday night. The pitching matchup will be Steven Matz (4-2, 4.78 ERA) for Toronto and the electric Cristian Javier (3-0, 1.75 ERA) for Houston.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
Jose Urquidy appears to be starting the season on IL. Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images.

Astros pitcher Jose Urquidy made a lot of fans nervous on Friday when he exited his spring training start after just 43 pitches. Elbow pain reportedly was what cut his start short. Urquidy was then sent back to Houston for further evaluation.

Astros manager Joe Espada gave an injury update on Monday. According to MLB.com's Brain McTaggart, Urquidy is dealing with a forearm muscle strain and will likely begin the season on IL.

Based on the information we have, this sounds like good news for Houston. There was no mention of the UCL, or any other elbow issues which could lead to Tommy John surgery being necessary.

But with Justin Verlander and Urquidy being unavailable to start the season, the Astros will have to rely on their depth. As of today, the rotation to start the season should be: Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Hunter Brown, JP France, and Ronel Blanco.

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome