Houston gets a huge win in LA

Astros rally late to beat the Dodgers in pivotal game

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

After a disappointing series in Oakland where they went 1-4, the Astros had a day off on Friday before starting a quick two-game series with arguably the best team in the MLB right now, the Dodgers, in Los Angeles. Here is a recap of the first game:

Final Score: Astros 7, Dodgers 5.

Record: 23-23, second in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Josh James (1-0, 9.95 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Kenley Jansen (3-1, 3.93 ERA).

Astros strike first, then Dodgers go to work on Valdez

The Astros were able to get a run across in the first, which is one thing they have done a decent job with this season. George Springer started the game with a double, moved to third on a groundout, then scored on an RBI-single by Yuli Gurriel, giving Houston the quick 1-0 lead.

After Framber Valdez made quick work of the top of the Dodgers' order in the bottom of the first, the bottom of their order would knock him around in the second. After a one-out single, Chris Taylor hit a two-run homer to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead, which became 3-1 on the next batter as Enrique Hernandez would hit a solo home run.

Valdez would allow two more runs over his five innings, while he would get no more run support behind him; one on a sac fly to turn a one-out triple into a run in the third, then an RBI-single in the fifth, which came after a walk and wild pitch. His final line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 HR, 82 P.

Houston's bullpen holds the Dodgers at bay

After Valdez's five innings, Humberto Castellanos would come in as the first reliever for Houston, erasing a one-out double and two-out single for a scoreless inning. Cionel Perez was next for the bottom of the seventh and would face three batters, getting two outs and allowing a single, before Josh James would come in to finish the inning via a caught stealing.

Houston would get one run closer in the top of the eighth, with Alex Bregman following a leadoff single by George Springer by beating a potential double play to reach on a fielder's choice, moving to third on a single by Michael Brantley, then scoring on a groundout by Yuli Gurriel, making it 5-2.

Astros rally in the ninth to steal the win

The Astros would get back-to-back singles to start the ninth, against the Dodgers' closer Kenley Jansen, before both would score on a two-RBI double by Josh Reddick to make it a 5-4 game, with Reddick representing the tying run on second. Reddick would move to third on a single by Martin Maldonado, then scored on a game-tying RBI-single by George Springer, making it 5-5.

Alex Bregman would come up next and provided Houston their first lead since the beginning of the game, getting an RBI-single to make it 6-5. Yuli Gurriel would follow later with a sac fly, giving the Astros an additional insurance run at 7-5. Ryan Pressly would hold on to those two runs, allowing a leadoff single but erasing it along with a two-out double to give Houston the big win.

Up Next: The closing game of this quick two-game set is Sunday at 7:00 PM on Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN. Zack Greinke (3-1, 3.27 ERA) will start for the Astros against the team he played for in 2013-2015, while the Dodgers' starter is TBD.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM

The Houston Texans announced the hiring of new Offensive Coordinator Bobby Slowik over the weekend. Slowik coached with DeMeco Ryans in San Francisco, but his lack of play calling experience may have some concerned.

On the other hand, Ryans will have a level of comfort with Slowik due to their time together in San Francisco, and coaches from the Shanahan tree have enjoyed a lot of success recently.

Plus, Slowik's coaching background started on the defensive side of the ball, but arguably the best offensive mind in the game (Shanahan) saw something in Slowik that made him believe he would be a good offensive coach. Maybe his experience on both sides of the ball will give him an edge.

Be sure to check out the video above as the guys give their full assessment of the hire and what the offense will look like on the field for Houston.

Listen to The Wheelhouse weekdays from 3pm to 7pm on ESPN 97.5 & 92.5 FM!

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome