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Astros get 6-3 win over Marlins to complete 3-game sweep

Astros Corey Julks, Yainer Diaz, Jake Meyers
Astros sweep the Marlins! Composite Getty Image.

Jake Meyers hit an RBI double and the surging Houston Astros beat the Miami Marlins 6-3 on Thursday night, completing a three-game sweep with their ninth straight victory at home.

Houston has won nine of 12 overall to improve to 49-44.

After coming off the injured list, Jake Bloss allowed four hits and two runs over four innings for the Astros in his second major league start. Tayler Scott (6-2) got the last two outs in the sixth for the win and Josh Hader struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his 17th save.

Bryan De La Cruz and Jazz Chisholm Jr. each hit a solo homer for the National League-worst Marlins, who were swept for the eighth time this season.

Miami rookie Roddery Muñoz (1-4) permitted five hits and six runs — four earned — in 6 2/3 innings. He also had two wild pitches and a balk.

There was one out in the first when De La Cruz homered to left field to put the Marlins up early.

Alex Bregman walked with one out in the bottom of the inning before a double by Yainer Diaz. Houston tied it when Bregman scored on a sacrifice fly by Jon Singleton.

Jeremy Peña’s single on a line drive to right sent another run home to put Houston up 2-1.

Xavier Edwards walked to start the second and moved to second on a wild pitch by Bloss. Another wild pitch left Edwards at third with two outs, and the Marlins tied it when he scored on a single by Nick Fortes.

Trey Cabbage hit a one-out double in the second and advanced to third on a wild pitch by Muñoz. The Astros regained the lead when Cabbage scored on a groundout by César Salazar.

Joey Loperfido walked with no outs in the fourth and scored on a double by Meyers that made it 4-2. Salazar was hit by a pitch with one out before Jose Altuve reached on a fielder’s choice as third baseman Jake Burger committed a fielding error that loaded the bases.

Bregman grounded into a forceout that scored Meyers to extend the lead to 5-2.

Shawn Dubin replaced Bloss to start the fifth and was greeted with a towering home run by Chisholm that made it 5-3.

The Astros added another run in the fifth thanks in large part to sloppy play by the Marlins. Singleton reached to start the inning on an error by right fielder Jesús Sánchez when he dropped a routine fly. There was one out when Singleton moved to second on a wild pitch by Muñoz and then took third on a balk by the right-hander. Houston made it 6-3 when Singleton scored on a sacrifice fly by Loperfido.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: DH/OF Yordan Alvarez was out of the lineup after leaving Wednesday's game in the third inning with tightness in his right hip. But manager Joe Espada said Alvarez was doing OK and sat out as a precaution. … Altuve will skip next week’s All-Star Game to rest his sore left hand. He missed one game before returning to the lineup after being hit on the hand by a pitch last Friday.

UP NEXT

Marlins: RHP Yonny Chirinos (0-0, 4.19 ERA) opposes Cincinnati RHP Carson Spiers 2-2, 3.64) in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.

Astros: RHP Hunter Brown (6-6, 4.48 ERA) faces Texas LHP Andrew Heaney (3-9, 3.80) on Friday night.

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Hunter Brown takes the mound for Houston Tuesday night. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros will look to even their three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night at Daikin Park, with ace-in-the-making Hunter Brown taking the mound.

The Astros (55-36) dropped the series opener 7-5 on Monday, snapping a stretch that saw them win six of their last eight games. But they'll have their best arm on the hill in Brown, who enters with a 9-3 record, a sparkling 1.82 ERA, and a microscopic 0.90 WHIP. The right-hander has been the definition of dominant this season, striking out 126 batters and giving Houston a clear edge in any matchup he starts.

Cleveland (41-48) will counter with Joey Cantillo, who has impressed in limited action. The lefty owns a 3.41 ERA and will face a Houston lineup that has been red-hot, batting .298 over the last 10 games and piling up runs behind contributions from Victor Caratini, Cam Smith, and Jose Altuve.

Despite Monday’s setback, the Astros are still 32-15 at home and boast a 43-13 record when outhitting their opponent. Cleveland, meanwhile, has lost nine of its last 10 and is hitting just .187 over that span — though Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan remain threats to change a game with one swing.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jake Meyers has 15 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 21 RBIs for the Astros. Meyers is dealing with a calf issue and was out of the lineup for Game 1 versus the Guardians.

Caratini is 10 for 38 with two doubles and four home runs over the past 10 games.

Tuesday marks the fifth meeting between the two clubs this season, with the series tied 2-2. With Brown on the mound and the offense continuing to click, Houston will try to reclaim control and keep pace atop the American League.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -211, Guardians +173; over/under is 7 runs.

Lineup breakdown

Here's an early look at Houston's lineup for Game 2. Spots 1-6 are the same as Game 1, except Cooper Hummel is playing left field, with Altuve in the DH spot. Mauricio Dubon is hitting seventh and playing second base, with Zack Short (SS) hitting eighth, followed by Taylor Trammell batting ninth and playing center field. Jake Meyers is out of the lineup again with a calf issue.



 

  Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot


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