The Houston Astros defeated the Toronto Blue Jays __ on Wednesday night inside the Rogers Centre. The victory continues the Astros success over the past few weeks and moves their record to 44-42.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Blue Jays went with Yusei Kikuchi on the mound in this one. He has been inconsistent this season but started this outing off looking sharp. He worked a 1-2-3 first.
The Astros countered with Ronel Blanco, who has been one of the big surprises in the Major Leagues this season. Blanco gave up a couple of baserunners early. Then, Bo Bichette brought home the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly. That made it 1-0 Toronto after one.
Both pitchers were able to put of zeroes in the second. In the third, the Astros found their way onto the scoreboard. With two runners on, Yordan Alvarez doubled to score a run and tie the game at one.
Both pitchers settled in nicely at that point. There were no runs scored in the fourth or fifth innings. In the sixth, Alvarez launched a solo home run to put Houston ahead 2-1. That was his 19th of the season, making him responsible for both Astro runs to that point.
In the bottom of the sixth, Blanco ran into some trouble. Bichette doubled with two outs, ending the outing for Ronel with a runner still his responsibility. Daulton Varsho then delivered a game-tying RBI single to make it two apiece.
To start the seventh, the Astros got a leadoff baserunner from a Blue Jay error. A double from Jon Singleton, and single from Jose Altuve helped give Houston a 3-2 lead. Then, Yainer Diaz came through with a two-run single to extend the lead further. Finally, back-to-back hit by pitches forced in another run, and the Stros left the seventh up 6-2.
In the top of the eighth, Houston extended the lead even further. Two walks set up Alvarez to continue his monster day, this time with an RBI double. Diaz followed that with another run-scoring single, and the lead was then 8-2. An RBI groundout made it 9-2 by the end of the inning.
In the final innings, the Houston bullpen handled their business, and closed out the 9-2 win.
BIG NUMBER: 7
The Astros scored seven runs in the seventh inning and beyond. It continues a change, as they struggled in the late innings early on in the season. The late surge helped them cruise to another victory.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Yordan Alvarez
Alvarez had a huge night, even with an injury scare mixed in. He stayed in the game, and the Astros are glad he did. Two doubles, a home run, and three RBIs helped pace the offense in the win.
UP NEXT: The Astros and Blue Jays will wrap up their series with a day game tomorrow on the Fourth of July at 12:07 PM. You can hear the action on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.