Houston gets back in the win column

Astros behind Greinke defeat Padres to avoid series sweep

Zack Greinke provided a much-needed eight-inning performance on Sunday. Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images.

With another monumental bullpen collapse in Saturday's game to put the series win in San Diego's back pocket, the Astros tried to salvage a game to avoid a sweep by the Padres on Sunday. Despite some last-minute drama when Houston's bullpen would give up late runs, Houston would hold on to their early lead to get the win.

Final Score: Astros 7, Padres 4

Astros' Record: 28-24, second in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Zack Greinke (5-2)

Losing Pitcher: Blake Snell (1-2)

Astros build an early lead against Snell

Houston appeared determined to grab the momentum in Sunday's series finale quickly. After Zack Greinke tossed a 1-2-3 top of the first, the Astros put up four runs in the bottom half. Jose Altuve led things off with a single, then moved to third on a Chas McCormick single in the next at-bat before scoring on an RBI groundout by Alex Bregman. Carlos Correa worked a walk after that, setting up a three-run homer by Kyle Tucker to give the Astros an early 4-0 advantage.

They made Blake Snell's day even worse in the bottom of the third, adding three more on two hits, a two-RBI double by Aledmys Diaz and an RBI single by Taylor Jones, extending the lead to 7-0. That was plenty of padding for Houston's starter, who was holding his own.

Greinke tosses eight much-needed innings

Greinke allowed just one baserunner through the first three frames, giving up a two-out single, San Diego's first hit of the day, in the top of the third. He gave up two more hits in the top of the fourth but left both on base to maintain the 7-0 lead. The Padres got on the board in the fifth, getting a solo home run, but that would be their only run against Greinke, who would get a much-needed lengthy start on the mound. His final line: 8.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 96 P.

Houston avoids the sweep

For the Padres, they sent former-Astro Joe Musgrove out to eat up innings after Snell's early exit. He did well against his old teammates, holding them scoreless and hitless over five innings. After Greinke's eight, it left just one inning for Houston's struggling bullpen to cover, which went to Andre Scrubb.

He allowed a leadoff solo home run to cut the lead to 7-2, then a two-run homer with one out to make it 7-4, putting Astros fans on the edge of their seats once again. He would eventually get through the inning, wrapping up the victory to end the series on a positive note.

Up Next: Houston will pick things back up on Monday with a 3:10 PM four-game series opener against the Red Sox. Boston will send Eduardo Rodriguez (5-3, 5.06 ERA) to the mound, while the Astros will hand the ball to Jose Urquidy (3-2, 3.22 ERA), who is making his return from the IL.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM

How good will Houston Texans rookie Tank Dell be? Former Pro Bowl WR Greg Jennings weighed in and had a lot to say!

That is some high praise, comparing Dell's route running to art.

ESPN’s Houston's Jake Asman, Brad Kellner, and Cody Stoots break it down on The Wheelhouse!

LISTEN to The Wheelhouse on ESPN Houston 97.5 or 92.5 FM every weekday from 3-7 PM CST!

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome