Houston takes the series 2-1
Astros get series win against Giants behind another strong start by Greinke
Aug 12, 2020, 9:36 pm
Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images
Astros George Springer
After blowing a four-run lead and wasting the chance to win the series on Tuesday, the Astros tried to remedy things with a win on Wednesday night behind Zack Greinke on the mound. Here is a recap of the rubber game of the three-game set between Houston and San Francisco:
Final Score: Astros 5, Giants 1.
Record: 8-10, second in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Zack Greinke (1-0, 2.53 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Caleb Baragar (2-1, 11.25 ERA).
Greinke with another strong start
San Francisco carried over their momentum from the night before into the top of the first against Zack Greinke, getting a leadoff triple that would result in a quick 1-0 lead after an RBI-single. Greinke would do well after that, though, dealing with some traffic but keeping the Giants off the board over the next five innings.
He would keep going into the seventh, but with his pitch count rising and putting two on base with a single and walk, he would have his night come to an end as Houston went to Brooks Raley, who would get the second and third outs. That finalized Greinke's line: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K.
Astros bats stay hot, Houston wins the series
Greinke would leave with a lead, thanks to an RBI-single by Alex Bregman in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game 1-1 before Houston would put together a four-run sixth. Houston loaded the bases with no outs to allow Carlos Correa to score on a wild pitch to take a 2-1 lead, then Martin Maldonado followed with another big hit in 2020, a three-run home run to extend the lead to 5-1.
That left two more innings for the bullpen to cover with a four-run lead. In the top of the eighth, Raley would return and retire the Giants in order. Still a 5-1 score in the ninth, Blake Taylor would take over on the mound to try and finish off the game. He would get through the scoreless frame, wrapping up the win and the series victory for Houston.
Up Next: The Astros have a day off on Thursday before continuing this homestand with a three-game weekend series with the Mariners starting Friday at 8:10 PM Central. The expected pitching matchup is Yusei Kikuchi (0-1, 5.28 ERA) going for Seattle, opposite of Framber Valdez (0-2, 2.04 ERA) for Houston.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
Houston Texans make unexpected swap involving promising receiver
Aug 17, 2025, 4:09 pm
Ramón Urìas beat Jackson Holliday’s throw to first, allowing Carlos Correa to score from third and the Houston Astros outlasted the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 in 12 innings Saturday night.
Urìas helped the AL West-leading Astros to their sixth walk-off victory of the season a night after ending a perfect game bid in the eighth against his old team. Houston increased its division lead to 1 1/2 games.
With the bases loaded and one out, Urías — who was 0 for 6 — hit a grounder to third base, but instead of throwing home to get the second out, Jordan Westburg tried for the double play.
Enyel De Los Santos (4-3) overcame the automatic runner and kept the Orioles off the board in the 11th and 12th.
Jason Alexander allowed two runs on three hits over six innings without issuing a walk, while matching his career high with six strikeouts.
Alexander left with the Astros leading 3-2 and, after Bryan King worked around a leadoff single in the seventh, Jose Altuve made it 4-2 when he hit 22nd home run of the season in the bottom of the inning.
Holliday tied it in the eighth with a two-run homer off Bennett Sousa.
Baltimore’s Cade Povich allowed three runs on five hits over five innings while matching his career high with 10 strikeouts.
Touted Orioles prospect Dylan Beavers was 1 for 5 with a double in his major league debut.
Key moment
Urías beat Holliday’s throw to first to allow the winning run to score.
Key stat
The Orioles were 0 for 14 with runners in scoring position.
Up next
Houston RHP Cristian Javier (1-0, 3.60 ERA) was set to oppose RHP Dean Kremer (8-9, 4.17 ERA) in the series finale Sunday.