MLB ASTROS 5, TIGERS 4 Surging Astros complete three-game sweep of Tigers and 13th series sweep of the season. George Springer DETROIT — understood the situation as he was about to dive for Dawel Lugo’s line drive in the eighth inning. “I could tell I
by Nicholas Castellanos in the seventh that pulled the Tigers within a run. Ryan Pressly pitched a perfect ninth for his first save.
James McCann also homered for Detroit. Daniel Norris (0-4) allowed five runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.
“I started running out of gas in the third inning, which is frustrating, because that’s not how you want to feel,” said Norris, who returned from the disabled list Sept. 1 after missing much of the season with a groin injury. “I got through four with a lot of weak contact, but I started missing spots in the fifth and they have great hitters.”
Houston trailed 2-1 before scoring four runs in the fifth. Alex Bregman put the Astros ahead with a two-run double, and Tyler White added a sacrifice fly. An RBI double by Marwin Gonzalez made it 5-2.
Bregman opened the scoring with an RBI single in the third. Mikie Mahtook answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning, and McCann led off the Detroit fourth with a homer.
The Astros swept a threegame series at Tiger Stadium in 1998, but they’d never done it at Detroit’s current ballpark, which opened in 2000.
■ Astros 5, Tigers 4 (late Tuesday): Jose Altuve homered on the game’s first pitch, and the Astros powered their way past the Tigers .
The Astros built a 5-0 lead on three homers in the first four innings off Jordan Zimmermann, and then held on with five scoreless innings from their bullpen.
Framber Valdez left with a one-run lead after allowing all four of Detroit’s runs in the fourth inning, including a three-run homer by JaCoby Jones. Will Harris (4-3) got the win by striking out the side in the fifth inning, and three more relievers followed before Roberto Osuna worked the ninth for his 17th save in 18 opportunities.
Zimmermann (7-7) allowed five runs on six hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out three. Detroit got four scoreless innings from its bullpen.
After Altuve gave Houston the early lead, Tony Kemp hit a two-run homer in the second inning.
Tyler White hit Houston’s third homer, a two-run shot into the Astros bullpen with one out in the fourth.
The Tigers scored all their runs with two outs in the fourth. With runners on the corners, Dawel Lugo hit what looked like a routine grounder to short, but the ball took a bad hop and went over Carlos Correa’s head for an RBI single.
Jones then lined a 3-1 fastball into the left-field stands for his 11th homer of the season.