Tampa Bay sink Astros into major abyss

Margot’s homer, catch highlight Tampa Bay’s 4-2 victory over Houston for 2-0 lead in ALCS

SANDIEGO » Manuel Margot hit a three-run home run one batter after a crucial Houston error and made a spectacular catch in right field in his former home ballpark, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Astros 4-2 Monday to take a 2- 0 lead in the AL Championship Series

Margot homered off Lance McCullers Jr. with two outs in the first inning on an 87-degree afternoon. An inning later, he tracked George Springer’s long foul ball to right field while shielding his face fromthe sun and caught it as he tumbled over a padded railing a top a wall and landed on a walkway near the seats down the line at Petco Park.

Margot popped up and held up his glove with the ball in it after a 102-foot sprint. That ended the inning, stranding two runners.

“To have the ability to know where you’re at, and kind of be able to say, ‘Forget it, I know I’m going to hit something but I’m going in,’ and still hang on to the ball, was really, really impressive,”. manager Kevin Cash said.

Margot was an outfielder with the San Diego Padres from late in the 2016 season until being traded to Tampa Bay on Feb. 8 for reliever Emilio Pagán.

“I think all the time I played here, I never played right field,” Margot said through a translator.

Margot homered to straightaway center field on an 0-1 pitch from McCullers with two outs in the first. It followed the first of two errors by second baseman José Altuve on a grounder to shallow right field by Ji-Man Choi. Altuve’s throw hit the ground before going in and out of first baseman Yuli Gurriel’s glove.

NLCS

BRAVES 5, DODGERS 1 » Austin Riley led off the ninth inning with a tiebreaking homer that sparked a four-run outburst, and Atlanta opened its first National League Championship Series since 2001 with a win over Los Angeles.

Riley, the No. 9 batter in the Braves lineup, hit a 448- drive to leftcenter off Blake Treinen, who had just entered the game, drawing a loud reaction and some tomahawk- chop chants from the first fans allowed to attend a major league game this season.

The Braves weren’t done after Riley’s homer made it 2-1. Ronald Acuña Jr. followed with a double and scored on a single by Marcell Ozuna that chased Treinen before Ozzie Albies’ two-run homer off Jake McGee.

GREGORY BULL — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Tampa Bay Rays’ Manuel Margot rounds the bases past the Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve after hitting a three-run home run against starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. during the first inning in Game 2of the American League Championship Series on Monday in San Diego.

JAE C. HONG — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Manuel Margot reaches over the wall after catching a foul ball by the Houston Astros’ George Springer during the second inning in Game 2of the AL Championship Series on Monday in San Diego.