Astros complete sweep of Mariners for ninth straight win

Astros daily report: Astros 3, Mariners 2

Chris Campise
Apr 14, 2019, 4:50 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

After locking up the series win on Saturday, the Astros looked for the sweep and their ninth straight win on Sunday afternoon. Here's how things shook out:

Final Score: Astros 3, Mariners 2

Record: 11-5, second in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Gerrit Cole (1-2).

Losing pitcher: Brandon Brennan (1-1).

Star of the game: Michael Brantley was the only Astro able to get a hit off of Marco Gonzalez through the first five innings, then came through with one of the biggest hits of the day with his game-tying two-run single. He finished the day two for four with the two RBIs.

Notes: Seattle extended their crazy streak of consecutive games with a home run by taking a 1-0 lead on a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning off of Gerrit Cole. They extended their lead to 2-0 with a couple of doubles in the third. Meanwhile, Houston was only able to get one hit off of Marco Gonzalez through the first five innings. In the top of the sixth, they'd load the bases with one out after three singles, bringing Michael Brantley to the plate who came through in the clutch with a two-RBI single to tie the game. Despite the two runs allowed, Cole still had another good outing, finishing six innings with eleven strikeouts and the two runs on four hits and no walks. The Astros took their first lead of the day in the top of the seventh thanks to a line drive solo homer from Aledmys Diaz, making it 3-1 Houston. Hector Rondon was first out of the pen and worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, followed by Ryan Pressly who did the same in the eighth. Roberto Osuna came in for the ninth and preserved the one-run lead for his seventh save of the season, pushing the Astros to nine straight wins and completing the series sweep.

Up Next: Houston will get the day off tomorrow before starting a short two-game series against Oakland on Tuesday night. First pitch will be at 9:07 PM and will feature Collin McHugh for the Astros going up against Franke Montas for the A's.

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Blue Jays demolish Houston on Father's Day

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 12-0 loss

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Houston was seeking a series sweep on Father's Day after taking the first two games of the series with Toronto. Here is a quick rundown of the series finale:

Final Score: Blue Jays 12, Astros 0.

Record: 48-24, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Trent Thornton (2-5, 4.36 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Brad Peacock (6-4, 3.67 ERA).

1) Toronto jumps ahead early, gives Peacock trouble

The Blue Jays ambushed Brad Peacock in the top of the first inning, getting a leadoff triple then a one-out sac fly followed by a solo home run, grabbing a quick 2-0 advantage. Peacock seemed to settle in after that, allowing just one hit along with a few walks over the next three innings, but Toronto would double their lead in the fifth.

In the top of the fifth, Peacock allowed a leadoff double then a one-out two-run home run to Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Yuli's brother, extending the Blue Jay's lead to 4-0. Peacock would finish the fifth but that would be it for him in a disappointing start. His final line: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 2 HR.

2) Thornton handles Astros' offense in return to Houston

Trent Thornton, originally drafted by Houston but traded away in the deal for Aledmys Diaz this offseason, was on the mound for Toronto on Sunday looking to show the Astros what they were missing out on. He accomplished his mission, holding the Astros to just six hits over six and two-thirds innings while keeping them scoreless over that span.

They'd have no luck against Toronto's relievers, either, getting shutout for the fourth time this season.

3) Jays keep scoring against the bullpen

After Peacock's day ending with five innings of work, Cionel Perez came in for the sixth to try and keep the game close. Instead, he allowed a leadoff single, a double, then a three-run home run to extend Toronto's lead to 7-0, an RBI-single to make it 8-0, then a second three-run home run later in the inning blowing the game open at 11-0 with a seven-run inning.

Perez was able to get through the next two innings without allowing any more runs, then with the game very out of reach, Houston put Tyler White on the mound to throw the ninth. White allowed a solo home run to push the lead to 12-0 but would get through the rest of the inning to end the pitching day for the Astros.

Up Next: Houston will travel tonight to kick off a full week of games starting with a three-game series with the Reds in Cincinnati. The first game of the series will start at 6:10 PM tomorrow and will feature a pitching matchup of Wade Miley (6-3, 3.14 ERA) for the Astros going up against Luis Castillo (6-1, 2.20 ERA) for the Reds.

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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