With a stellar afternoon at the plate for Jose Altuve, the Houston Astros defeated the Washington Nationals 9-1 on Wednesday afternoon at Daikin Park to take the series.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Altuve got things started in the bottom of the first as he led off with a single to left field. Yainer Diaz followed with a single which moved Altuve over to third base. Two batters later, Altuve scored on a sacrifice fly by Cam Smith.
The Nationals tied the game in the second with a sac fly by Lile who brought home Josh Bell. That proved to be the only run starter Ryan Gusto gave up on Wednesday. Despite not having his best stuff, Gusto gave up one run on four hits with five strikeouts in six innings of work.
The Astros reclaimed the lead in the bottom frame. Mauricio Dubon led off with a walk and two hitters later Zack Short reached on an infield single. Altuve then stepped to the plate and lifted a pitch from Mackenzie Gore into the Crawford Boxes.
The Astros blew the game open in the bottom of the sixth.
Dubon got on with a one-out single and then Hummel hit a two-run home run. Two batters later, Short drew a two-out walk and then Altuve singled to left to put runners on the corners. Diaz then hit a three-run home run to make it 9-1.
BIG NUMBER: 41
With Wednesday’s performance, Jose Altuve has 41 four-hit games in his career which is the most by any active player. Altuve also has never recorded a five-hit game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: JOSE ALTUVE
Houston’s legendary star went 4-for-4 at the plate on Wednesday, with three runs scored, three RBI, and a home run.
UP NEXT: Houston (62-47) returns to action on Friday when it begins a three-game series at the Boston Red Sox. The first pitch is set for 6:10 p.m. and can be heard live on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles — Southwest Louisiana’s Sports Station.