ASTROS’ BATS RULE IN COLORADO SWEEP
Potent lineup’s depth on display in latest assault
Optimism rose like a wave. Then it crashed, dragging the Colorado Rockies back in the undertow.
The Astros’ lineup, healthy and thrashing at full strength even in games without starters likeGeorge Springer, who rested Wednesday, is surging these days, leaving few chances for opponents to come to the surface for a breath.
The Rockies believed that their big gulps — a game-tying sixth-inning homer by Raimel Tapia on Tuesday and a first-inning blast by Trevor Story for an immediate 1-0 lead Wednesday — could suck the oxygen out of the Astros.
“This game is ours,” Tapia said of the Rockies’ expectation for a comeback Tuesday after his threerun homer in the sixth off Zack Greinke. “Obviously that didn’t happen.”
The Astros won that game 11-6 and answered the same wayWednesday, overcoming Story’s home run quickly with a pair of their own, surfing Yuli Gurriel’s eight RBIs, and drowning theRockies in a 14-3 win at Minute Maid Park.
Gurriel tied the Astros’ singlegame record for RBIs. J.R. Towles drove in eight runs on Sept. 20, 2007 against the Cardinals.
The Astros (75-40) outscored the Rockies 25-9 and out-hit them 25-16 in the two-game sweep. Houston leads the American LeagueWest by 10 games.
Starter Peter Lambert (2-3, 6.87) could not keep Colorado’s lead for onemoment. Filling in for Springer in the leadoff spot, Jose Altuve pounced on Lambert’s first pitch for his 18th home run.
Lambert gave up singles to Michael Brantley and Yordan Alvarez, fell behind 3-0 in the count to Gurriel and had to challenge the Astros’ hottest hitter.
Lambert poorly located a changeup. Gurriel scorched on it for a three-run home run that banged off an advertisement beneath the left-field train tracks.
With that 395-foot blast, Gurriel had three home runs in 18 hours against the Rockies.
Gurriel’s next three at-bats came with thebases loaded. Hedrovein a fourth runwith a sacrifice fly in the third, three with a two-out double in the fourth and another with a groundout in the sixth.
In the last 35 games, Gurriel has 18 homers, 48 RBIs and a .381average (53 for 139). His 80 RBIs this season surpass his 2017 total and are five fewer than his career-high 85 from last season.
Gurriel’s production improved when he opened his stance slightly, so he could identify pitches out of pitchers’ hands more clearly with both eyes.
“You get that feel every time he comes up that something positive’s going to happen,” manager A. J. Hinch said. “He’s locked in on pitch recognition. The production has been through the roof for the last six weeks.”
Astros starter Gerrit Cole extolled Gurriel’s ability to punish pitchers, even those who are precise.
“He can take a breaking ball beneaththe zone and hit it out,” Cole said. “He can take a fastball at his head and hit it out. Flip a coin — hopefully you have a three-sided one.”
Lambert loaded the baseswithout recording an out in the fourth. Brantley’s RBI single ended the righthander’s miserable outing.
Reliever Jesus Tinoco almost undid the jam. He struck out Yordan Alvarez and Carlos Correa. Then Tinoco gave up the basesclearing double to Gurriel.
Lambertwas chargedwith nine earned runs on seven hits and four walks in three innings.
The Astros finished the game 6for-15 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base, giving batters the feeling that they all were hitting cleanup.
In general, Gurriel said: “After the first inning, it seems likewe’re all third-, fourth-place hitters.”
Cole (14-5, 2.87) churned through six innings with 10 strikeouts and without allowing a walk. Two of the three hits gave upwere solo home runs by Story and Nolan Arenado.
Cole’s slider has been inconsistent recently. He attacked the Rockies with 59 four-seam fastballs, which averaged 98 mph. Only in one start this season has Cole thrown more four-seamers.
“Today was the best fastball command he’s had in the better part of a month,” Hinch said. “If he was missing, he was barely missing.”
Cole notched his 13th doubledigit strikeout performance of the season. He is 10-0 with a 1.98 ERA in his last 14 starts.
In his second relief appearance with the Astros, Joe Biagini allowed one earned run on five hits in two innings.
Gurriel had a chance to tie the American League record of 11RBIs in a game in his final plate appearance.
“The conversation in the dugout was how many RBIs he’s gonna get,” Hinch said. “Not if he’s gonna get one.”
Gurriel flew out with two runners on base.
“It didn’t happen,” he said. “I was happy with the eight I had already driven in.”