The Houston Astros were looking to build on their lead in the American League West by hosting the Kansas City Royals for game two of a four-game set.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
In the third inning, the Astros broke the scoreless game with a solo home run from Ben Gamel to put Houston ahead 1-0.
Framber Valdez was incredible throughout the contest, pitching seven hitless innings against a really strong Kansas City lineup that includes Bobby Witt Jr, who has had an incredible season.
In the fourth, Jeremy Pena got a double, putting a runner in scoring position, but was stranded and kept off the scoreboard.
Yainer Diaz got on base with a single in the bottom of the eighth before Victor Caratini doubled to put a pair of runners in scoring position. Pena hit a sacrifice fly to center field, deep enough to score Diaz and extend the Astros’ lead to 2-0 late in the game.
Witt reached first on a Pena error to start the ninth before Paul DeJong hit a game-tying two-run homer off Josh Hader. In the bottom half, Jake Meyers came through with a one-out single before Jose Altuve delivered the walk-off double off the Crawford Boxes and out of town scoreboard to win the game 3-2.
BIG NUMBER: 9
The Astros got nine base hits on the night to continue their strong stretch of offense dating back to the Philadelphia road trip.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Framber Valdez
Valdez was magnificent, pitching seven hitless innings in a tight contest. He walked three batters and struck out seven in the contest.
UP NEXT: The Astros and Royals will meet for the third of a four-game series inside Minute Maid Park with the opportunity for Houston to win three straight against Kansas City. First pitch Saturday evening is set for 6:10 and can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.