World Series Hero
Astros lose another piece as Morton signs with Rays
Dec 12, 2018, 4:17 pm
Charlie Morton is gone. Houston Astros/Facebook
The Astros are losing another key piece to their 2017 World Series Championship team.
Charlie Morton, who shut down the Dodgers in Game 7 to give the Astros their first-ever title, is signing a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Rays for $30 million.
Morton was also one of the best starters for the Astros over the 2018 season, when they lost in the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox. Morton went 15-3 with a 3.13 ERA for the season.
Morton is yet another blow to what was one of the best starting staffs in baseball last year. Fellow free agent Dallas Keuchel is not expected to return, and Lance McCullers is going to miss the season with Tommy John surgery.
As of now, the Astros will have Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Colin McHugh and a lot of question marks in the rotation. The team also lost veteran catcher Brian McCann and infielder Marwin Gonzalez. While they have signed Robinson Chirinos and acquired Aldemys Diaz to replace Gonzalez, the rotation remains a major question mark. Most assumed Morton would return to the team. The Astros reportedly offered a one year deal with an option; the Rays topped that with two years and an option.
While the Astros have earned the benefit of the doubt with a World Series title in their pocket, the losses from a really good team are piling up, and the Yankees and Red Sox are not going to stand still. The Astros will make some moves to get better, but they let a pretty nice sized fish get away in Morton.
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.