Stassi lights a fire with 3-run homer
A sky without blue or sunshine forecast gloom for hitters on the coldest day in Minute Maid Park history. The dribblers, whiffs and 52-degree temperature made April feel like winter.
The Astros extended a streak of more than 29 innings without an extrabase hit, but in their favor Sunday afternoon, Charlie Morton continued an unyielding stretch of starting
pitching.
Max Stassi broke the extra-base funk and a score-
less game in the fifth with a three-run homer, and Josh Reddick piled on with a solo shot an inning later in the Astros’ 4-1 win over the San Diego Padres.
The two home runs were the only extra-base hits for the Astros (8-2) against the Padres (2-8) in the series.
“We didn’t do a lot in this series offensively,” said manager A.J. Hinch, a night after the Astros won 1-0 on a walkoff pop-up the Padres misplayed. “But we did enough to win the series.”
Morton and Padres starter Tyson Ross combined for 15 groundouts and 14 strikeouts through six innings.
Ross befuddled opposing hitters by throwing sliders more than half the time, but his two worst were all the Astros needed to rise out of their recent stupor.
Reddick and Marwin Gonzalez led off the fifth with consecutive singles. Ross, a ground-ball pitcher, had a double-play scenario intact, a rip cord he could yank to parachute out of trouble, but a gaffe by catcher Austin Hedges led to Ross’ costliest pitch of the afternoon.
He hung a slider that Stassi — with a swing he revamped last year as part of baseball’s tilt toward hitting more fly balls — soared into the Crawford Boxes.
“I was just trying to elevate something there,” Stassi said. “He’s got a really good slider, and I was trying to see it up. I got the pitch I wanted and didn’t miss it.”
An inning later, Reddick turned on a slider in his wheelhouse. He hit three home runs and batted .474 in helping the Astros go 5-1 in their six-game homestand.
In the fifth, the Astros’ infield came in with one out and a runner on third. Morton lived up to his nickname: Ground Chuck. He induced a hard grounder from lefthanded slugger Eric Hosmer to shortstop Carlos Correa, who threw out Manuel Margot at the plate.
Morton quells threat
With a lead the next inning, Morton escaped a bases-loaded jam with one unearned run allowed. The Padres advanced runners after Alex Bregman made an error and Carlos Correa flipped the ball too high for Jose Altuve to turn a double play.
Morton’s six innings lowered the ERA of Astros starters to 1.83, the second best in the majors.
Relievers Will Harris, Joe Smith and Brad Peacock allowed no hits.
Peacock had earned the first save of his career in Game 3 of the World Series. He seized his first one in the regular season Sunday.
Hinch had said before the game that closer Ken Giles was unavailable. After the win, Hinch explained he prepared to deploy Peacock in any inning after the fifth.
“It’s a great, great weapon for me to have,” Hinch said. “You’re completely comfortable going to him early if you need a little bit of length or the last three outs of the game. He’s done that a couple times now.”
Peacock backs Giles
Hinch was cryptic when asked about Peacock’s usurping Giles, who has been hit hard in four appearances, in spots at the end of games.
“We’ll see,” Hinch said. “When we’re winning, you’re going to see him a lot.”
Peacock dismissed the notion that he could emerge as the new closer.
“I don’t think that’s happening,” he said. “You’ve got a great closer in Ken Giles. Trust him.”
If the Astros are to heat up on offense, they will have to overcome the most frigid temperatures in baseball during their road trip to Minneapolis this week.
The Twins had their coldest first-pitch temperature — 26 degrees — Saturday and canceled their game Sunday because of expected snowfall.
“The elements are going to be horrible. There’s no way around it,” Hinch said. “I like our team after this series, no matter whether we like playing in the cold or we don’t like playing in the cold.
“It might inspire a bunt or two.”