Houston has won five in a row
Correa, Bielak lead Astros to win over Rockies, extend winning streak to five
Aug 17, 2020, 11:01 pm
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Astros Carlos Correa
Riding a four-game winning streak and having won five of their last six, the Astros welcomed the 13-8 Rockies to Minute Maid Park on Monday. The two teams were set to face each other for four-straight games, with two in Houston then two in Denver. Here is a quick rundown of the series opener:
Final Score: Astros 2, Rockies 1.
Record: 12-10, second in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Brandon Bielak (3-0, 1.69 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Kyle Freeland (2-1, 2.56 ERA).
Correa strikes first as Bielak goes six solid innings
Houston wasted no time getting on the board, getting an early rally started with two outs in the bottom of the first. With a runner already on base, Yuli Gurriel delivered a single to put runners on first and third, then Carlos Correa drove them in with a two-RBI double to give the Astros the quick 2-0 lead.
Good guys up early.@TeamCJCorrea with a 2-RBI double and the @astros are up over the @Rockies
Enjoy the game on AT&T SportsNet pic.twitter.com/ng9H8uACyz
— AT&T SportsNet SW (@ATTSportsNetSW) August 18, 2020
Trevor Story cut that lead in half in the top of the third, hammering a solo home run to make it 2-1. That would be the only hit Bielak allowed over his six innings of work, putting together another solid start to hold down a potent Rockies offense. His final line: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 1 HR.
Houston's bullpen holds on to the one-run lead
Brooks Raley took over for Bielak to pitch the top of the seventh, maintaining the one-run lead with a 1-2-3 inning. The Astros threatened to add insurance runs in the bottom of the inning but would strand two runners to keep it a one-run game. Raley would face one more batter, getting a strikeout to start the top of the eighth before Dusty Baker brought in Josh James, who would finish the inning.
After another scoreless inning in the bottom of the eighth by the Astros, that sent the game to the ninth, where Blake Taylor would come on for the save opportunity. He would convert it, working around a leadoff single to extend Houston's winning streak to five games and keeping them in second place in the division.
Up Next: These two teams will play Tuesday at 2:10 PM Central in the afternoon to allow time after for their flights to Denver for the other half of this series. The starters for the game will be Zack Greinke (1-0, 2.53 ERA) for the Astros and Antonio Senzatela (3-0, 3.91 ERA) for the Rockies.
During Thursday night's loss to the Golden State Warriors, head coach Ime Udoka benched several of his starters in the fourth quarter. This decision actually gave the team a spark, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to secure a win.
What should we make of this move? Do the Rockets have an effort problem, or are they just tired?
Be sure to watch the video above as ESPN's Paul Gallant and Joe George weigh in!