Astros secure series win against Seattle
Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 2-1 win
Still gridlocked with the Yankees for the best record in the American League, and with two wins already in the books in the first games of this set with the Mariners, the Astros looked to lock up the series on Saturday night.
They had Justin Verlander, fresh of a no-hitter, on the mound to try and do so, and keep pace with New York and continue moving towards their magic number in the division. Here is a quick rundown of the game:
Final Score: Astros 2, Mariners 1.
Record: 93-50, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Justin Verlander (18-5, 2.52 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Austin Adams (1-2, 3.54 ERA).
1) Verlander continues to dominate
Justin Verlander kept moving along dominantly to start Saturday's game with Mariners, continuing his recent stretch of success including the no-hitter in his last start. He retired the first six batters he faced in order but would snap his hitless and scoreless streak in the third, though.
A leadoff single in the top of the third would come around to score on a one-out triple, putting Seattle in front 1-0, and giving Verlander his first earned run since his start on August 21st. He settled back in after that, though, throwing four more scoreless innings en route to one of his typical successful starts. His final line: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 0 HR.
2) Houston ties in the sixth, goes ahead in the seventh
After being held scoreless through the first five innings, Alex Bregman finally gave Houston their first run against Yusei Kikuchi with a solo home run to lead off the sixth. With his 100th walk earlier in the night, and the home run giving him his 100th RBI on the year, Alex Bregman joined Mike Trout as the only other player in the majors with 100 runs, 100 walks, and 100 RBIs.
Breg to the train tracks. 💪 pic.twitter.com/dunEVHoI2S
— MLB (@MLB) September 8, 2019
After tying the game in the inning prior, Houston took their first lead of the night in the bottom of the seventh. Kyle Tucker led the inning off by pinch-hitting and appeared to hit a home run after hitting a ball off of the left-field scoreboard that made it into the stands but instead was ruled a double and fan interference. He moved to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Josh Reddick, making it a 2-1 Astros lead.
3) James and Harris finish it off
With Verlander's night over after seven one-run innings, it was up to Houston's bullpen to preserve the one-run lead that had him in line for the win. Josh James was out first to throw the top of the eighth and despite putting two runners on with one out, was able to get back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
With Roberto Osuna's usage high in recent days, Houston turned to Will Harris to notch the save in the ninth. He did so, retiring the Mariners in order, securing the series win.
Up Next: Houston and Seattle will conclude this four-game series on Sunday at 1:10 PM. Gerrit Cole (15-5, 2.81 ERA) will be on the mound for the Astros opposite of Felix Hernandez (1-5, 6.02 ERA) for the Mariners.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
