Astros win 11th straight, beating Royals to finish trip 10-0
KANSAS CITY, MO. » Carlos Correa and the Houston Astros won their 11th straight game, finishing off a 10-0 trip by rallying past the Kansas City Royals 7-4 on Sunday.
The World Series champion Astros swept their swing through Texas, Oakland and Kansas City, outscoring opponents 74-35. Last season, Houston had an 11-game winning streak end in Kansas City. This time, the Astros trailed 4-3 in the eighth inning before Correa led off with a tying homer. Evan Gattis, who had three hits, then put them ahead during a three-run burst.
Correa has three home runs and eight RBIs in six games after missing four games with discomfort in his right side. He had a first-inning single and added a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
Gattis hit .366 with five home runs and 19 RBIs on the Astros’ trip. He singled home Yuli Gurriel in the eighth, and Marvin Gonzalez added an RBI single in the inning.
The Royals have lost six straight and 12 of 13. They have dropped 26 of 36 home games.
Brandon Maurer (0-3) took the loss, facing two batters and having both score. Tony Sipp (2-0) picked up the victory. Hector Rondon closed for his fourh save. RAYS 3, YANKEES 1 » Wilmer Font held the high-scoring Yankees in check in the latest Tampa Bay game “started” by a reliever, and the Rays held off New York to avoid a sweep.
Matt Duffy drove in two runs with a second-inning single for his first multi-RBI game in over a month. Carlos Gomez had an RBI double as Tampa Bay scored all three runs in the second against CC Sabathia (4-2).
Tampa Bay beat New York for the first time this season. The Yankees opened the season with five straight wins, outscoring the Rays 31-10 over the games, and was trying for a four-game sweep.
Font turned in his best performance of the year in any role, allowing just one run in 4 2-3 innings with five strikeouts. Tampa Bay used a reliever to open for the 15th time in 29 games. Entering the day, relievers working as starters had allowed 13 earned runs in 18 innings.
Chaz Roe (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory. Sergio Romo, who has also drawn five starts this season, closed for his third save.
Aaron Hicks homered off Font in the fifth — it was actually the second homer of the day. Hours earlier, the Yankees held the 72nd Old-Timers’ Day and Nick Swisher hit a long drive to right field. Hall of Famers Whitey Ford and Reggie Jackson were joined by the likes of Don Larsen, Willie Randolph, Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi. Current New York manager Aaron Boone took part for the first time. BLUE JAYS 8, NATIONALS 6 » Teoscar Hernandez and Yangervis Solarte hit consecutive homers in the eighth inning, and Toronto beat Washington to complete a three-game sweep.
The game was tied at 6 before Hernandez and Solarte connected against Ryan Madson (1-3). Hernandez hit his 12th homer and Solarte belted his team-leading 15th.
Randal Grichuk added a pair of solo homers for the Blue Jays, who have won seven straight home games. Ryan Tepera (4-2) pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for the win.
Washington has lost five of six. Slumping Nationals slugger Bryce Harper went 0 for 5 with two strikeouts, dropping his average to .218. TIGERS 3, WHITE SOX 1 » Nicholas Castellanos homered and Blaine Hardy pitched one-run ball into the sixth, leading Detroit past Chicago for its fifth straight win.
Jose Iglesias added an RBI single to help Detroit improve to 8-1 against the White Sox this season, including 6-0 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Castellanos homered twice Saturday and connected again in his first atbat Sunday. Before Saturday, he was mired in a 1-for21 slump over the previous five games.
Hardy (3-1) allowed one run on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
James Shields (2-8) was the loser. Matt Davidson hit his 12th homer and Kevan Smith had two hits for Chicago, which has dropped four straight.