Gerrit Cole and Houston get it done at home
Astros playoff report presented by APG&E: Astros advance to the ALCS with ALDS Game 5 win over Rays
Oct 10, 2019, 9:20 pm
Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
Gerrit Cole provided a dominant start in ALDS Game 5
After taking the first two games at home in Houston, then falling in back-to-back games at Tropicana Field, the Astros returned home for a winner-take-all ALDS Game 5 with a trip to the ALCS to face the Yankees on the line. After a disappointing start from Justin Verlander on short rest in Game 4, the Astros turned the ball to their other ace, Gerrit Cole, to try and seal the series.
Houston would come away victorious with a huge first inning of offense to back up an incredibly dominant start by Gerrit Cole. The 6-1 win would continue their quest to win their second World Series in three years. Here is a recap of the exciting Game 5 from Houston:
Final Score: Astros 6, Rays 1.
Series: Houston wins 3-2.
Winning Pitcher: Gerrit Cole.
Losing Pitcher: Tyler Glasnow.
Houston gets the hot start they needed
After a scoreless top of the first by Cole, the Astros blasted out the gate against Tyler Glasnow by getting four consecutive hits from the top of their order, including an RBI-single by Jose Altuve, which started the scoring followed by a two-RBI double by Alex Bregman. Yuli Gurriel would push the lead to 4-0 later in the inning with an RBI-single.
First inning, first run. #ALDS pic.twitter.com/LfEELdtLCw
— MLB (@MLB) October 10, 2019
Gerrit Cole dominates again in the spotlight
Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole was doing his part on the mound as well. The Rays were able to get one run back off of him with a solo home run to lead off the top of the second, but that would be the only blemish on Gole's otherwise efficient early goings in the game.
He would allow just two baserunners through the middle innings, a leadoff single in the fourth, and a leadoff walk in the seventh. Otherwise, he was getting outs and strikeouts to hold the score at 4-1 while Tampa Bay's bullpen was being equally effective against Houston's bats.
Cole would continue late into the game, working around a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh, then getting a 1-2-3 eighth including two strikeouts to bring him to ten on the night, his eleventh-straight start with double-digit strikeouts. He would not be asked to go further, having already provided his team with eight dominant innings of work while reaching a pitch count of 107. His final line in an incredible performance in ALDS Game 5: 8.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10K, 1 HR.
We are witnessing history.
@GerritCole45 extends his @MLB record 10+ K game streak to 11! pic.twitter.com/MLz6Z7xXcw
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 11, 2019
Brantley and Altuve add insurance, Osuna closes it out
After Cole completed his final inning, Houston's offense broke through to score their first runs since the first inning, getting back-to-back solo home runs from Michael Brantley and Jose Altuve to extend the lead to 6-1. Roberto Osuna would enter the game with the five-run lead in the top of the ninth to close things out, and recorded a clean 1-2-3 inning to complete the blowout win at home.
The win in the decisive Game 5 advanced Houston to the ALCS for the third-straight season, and as holders of the best record in baseball, will stay at home to host Games 1 and 2 this weekend.
Up Next: Houston will now advance to the ALCS to face the New York Yankees. Game 1 of the series will be on Saturday in Houston at Minute Maid Park, with first pitch scheduled for 7:08 PM Central. The Astros are expected to start the series with Zack Greinke, considering they had to use Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole in Games 4 and 5 of the ALDS. The Yankees have not yet announced their starter.
The Astros playoff report is presented by APG&E.
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L.J. Cryer scored 14 points, Milos Uzan added 12 points and six assists, and No. 6 Houston beat Baylor 76-65 on Monday night for its third straight victory.
Terrance Arceneaux had 11 points and J’Wan Roberts scored 10 for Houston (20-4, 12-1 Big 12). Emanuel Sharp also finished with 10 after missing two games with an ankle injury.
The Cougars shot 51% and went 10 of 24 on 3-pointers. They reached 20 wins for the 10th consecutive season.
Norchad Omier scored 19 points and Langston Love added 15 for Baylor (15-9, 7-6), which shot 58% — including 9 of 15 on 3s. VJ Edgecombe had 14 points and Robert Wright III finished with 10.
Baylor lost its third straight road game and fell to 0-4 against ranked opponents in true road games this season.
Takeaways
Baylor: The Bears missed an opportunity to add a marquee win and fell to 4-8 in Quad 1 games. Baylor’s lack of depth came into play as Houston outscored the Bears’ bench 24-1, and three starters played at least 35 minutes.
Houston: The Cougars improved to 5-3 in Quad 1 games and remained atop the Big 12 standings.
Key moment
Uzan hit a 3-pointer that sparked a 10-1 run and gave the Cougars a 26-16 lead with 7:53 remaining in the first half. Houston’s lead never dipped below six the rest of the way.
Key stat
Houston, which entered forcing more than 14 turnovers per game and ranking in the top 10 nationally with a 5.2 turnover margin, forced Baylor into 15 turnovers and converted them into 28 points.
Up next
Houston visits No. 13 Arizona on Saturday, while Baylor hosts West Virginia the same day.