HOUSTON — The solely method the Astros are going to quiet the quickly-growing narrative that their dwelling ballpark is working in opposition to them is to start out profitable some video games in Houston.
They took an encouraging first step on Saturday night time, topping the Padres, 7-5, at Minute Maid Park to halt their dwelling shedding streak at six video games. Houston additionally averted falling beneath the .500 mark at dwelling, and can as an alternative take a 36-35 document into Sunday’s collection finale.
Because nobody else within the American League West has taken agency maintain of the division lead, the Astros have been on a little bit of a hamster wheel by way of their ups (sweeping the Rangers) and downs (being swept by the Yankees). Saturday’s win gave them some tangible motion within the type of a 1 1/2-game lead over the Mariners, who misplaced to the Rays earlier within the night.
Until the fifth inning, offense was scarce, with Yordan Alvarez giving the one glimpse into what common life is like for the Astros at Minute Maid Park, earlier than instances. The moonshot he hit off Seth Lugo within the third inning was very Yordan-like: it left his bat at 109.8 mph, traveled a Statcast-projected 407 ft and landed within the second deck in proper subject.
The Padres roared again with 4 runs off Cristian Javier within the fourth, however their lead was short-lived, because of a fifth inning that produced 5 Astros runs and an entire lot of station-to-station (to-station-to-station) baseball, with 10 batters offering eight hits — six of which have been singles.
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