Sloppy Astros lose to Blue Jays
Combination of bad pitching, fielding gaffes and line drives ousts starter, stings bullpen
TORONTO — The best team in baseball looked more fragile than formidable Thursday night.
The Astros (58-28) lost a lead and their focus in a calamitous stretch between the fifth and sixth innings that resulted in a 7-4 comeback win for the Blue Jays (40-45).
Down 2-1 in the fifth, the Blue Jays scored five runs on a combination of soft hits, fielding mistakes and then line drives, which ousted Lance McCullers Jr. (7-2), embarrassed Michael Feliz and left Astros manager A.J. Hinch crestfallen in the dugout.
During the Astros’ next chance at the plate, Marwin Gonzalez struck out and was tossed for barking from the bench.
If the game did not feel rotten for Gonzalez and the Astros after falling behind, the ejection spoiled a nice start.
Gonzalez scored the first run of the game with his 15th home run. Batting righthanded against southpaw Francisco Liriano (5-4), Gonzalez launched a missile at 105 mph that took 4.1 seconds to strike the wall of the left-field bullpen.
Misplays by the Astros grew into meaningful runs for the Jays. A fielding error by Alex Bregman in the fourth allowed Kendrys Morales to reach first. A wild pitch from McCullers let Morales trot to second. McCullers then surrendered a ground out that advanced Morales and a single that plated Morales to tie it.
The fifth seemed fortuitous when Jose Altuve drove in Alex Bregman to retake the lead.
Altuve has dominated pitching lately. He went 3-for-5 with two RBIs on Thursday and is batting .486 in his last nine games, with 18 hits and 11 RBIs.
But Altuve’s success was moot inside the Rogers Centre, where the crowd amplified each Astros misstep with cheers during the Blue Jays’ comeback.
McCullers allowed consecutive singles to Jose Bautista and Russell Martin in the fifth. The runners scurried into scoring position when Brian McCann got crossed up on a fastball that handcuffed him. The ball got away from McCann, just as McCullers’ evening would.
Blue Jays end slumps
Josh Donaldson ended an 0 for 15 slump with a single to right field that cleared the bases and regained the lead 3-2 for the Blue Jays.
McCullers then hung a curveball to Morales, who pulled it to right field for a double that scored Donaldson. Troy Tulowitzki followed with a single to drive in Morales and snap a 0-for22 slump with runners in scoring position.
With the Blue Jays ahead 5-2, McCullers’ outing was over after 41⁄3 innings and nine hits allowed. His night would finish with six runs allowed, five earned.
“Up to that point, I was executing,” McCullers said. “I had a chance there, with Morales up to keep the damage as minimal as I could and I couldn’t do it.”
After Feliz came in for McCullers, he walked the first batter to put runners on first and second with one out. In search of a double play to end the jam, the Astros blew the chance.
Kevin Pillar grounded to Feliz, who threw to second. Carlos Correa caught the ball behind the bag, far out of position to step on second, and his throw to first was late to catch Pillar.
Feliz stared at second and turned his palms to the sky. Hinch shook his head.
“I’m not sure if there was confusion between Carlos and Jose about who was supposed to cover,” Hinch said. “Just a bad play. Didn’t record an out, when we probably should have.”
Feliz was charged with the error, but miscommunication between Correa and Altuve was to blame.
Neither Hinch nor Correa said who was at fault.
“I don’t remember,” Correa said. “We’ve been playing like machines throughout the whole season. Today we showed that we are human.”
With the bases loaded, Ryan Goins hit an RBI double off the center-field wall. Aggressive baserunning by the Blue Jays forced Steve Pearce to try to score, but Jake Marisnick fielded the ball well and threw to Correa for a swift relay home to get Pearce.
The Blue Jays batted around. Feliz struck out Bautista to end the misery.
Tempers run hot
Plate umpire John Libka ejected Gonzalez in the top of the sixth. According to Hinch, Gonzalez took issue with some called strikes but striking out swinging inflamed him. During the next at-bat, with McCann up, Gonzalez yelled from the dugout. Nori Aoki replaced Gonzalez in left field.
“From my vantage point, he was frustrated with his at-bat, a pitch that was called on him, that carried over into the dugout,” Hinch said of Gonzalez. “He made a comment from the dugout. He didn’t curse at (Libka). He didn’t say anything mean. He was loud from the dugout. The umpire didn’t appreciate it, warned him quickly and tossed him quickly.”
Diaz came in for Feliz and proceeded to give up a home run on an 0-2 count to Martin that made the score 7-2 Blue Jays.
Altuve drove in Bregman again, and then Carlos Beltran hit his 11th home run to cut the lead to 7-4. That was enough for Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna to induce three ground outs in the ninth from Astros All-Stars — George Springer, Altuve and Correa — for his 22nd save.
Correa, who returned frommissingonegamewith a jammed thumb, hit a slow roller to Osuna. He paused for the crowd to roar, patted the ball in his glove and sauntered six steps before throwing to first.
Correa called out Osuna for showing him up.
“I don’t know what’s so special about that,” Correa said. “Throwing me a 3-2 cutter; showing me up.”
Correa is difficult to rile. He exited the showers singing, shrugged when asked about the mistake at second and offered a warning to Osuna, politely.
“I go home, relax,” Correa said. “Next time I face him, he better not give up a homer.”
hunter.atkins@chron.com twitter.com/hunteratkins35