Brewers host Rowdy party
Rowdy Tellez spoiled Charlie Morton’s gem with a two-run homer in the seventh inning and threw out a runner at home plate, leading the Brewers over the Braves 2-1 Friday in the opener of their NL Division Series.
Corbin Burnes, Adrian Houser and Josh Hader combined on a four-hitter that gave the Brewers the early lead in this best-offive series. Game 2 is Saturday in Milwaukee.
Former Brewer Orlando Arcia grounded to second with runners on the corners to end the game. That came after Brewers catcher Omar Narváez — who combined with first baseman Tellez on a key first-inning double play — blocked Hader’s 1-2 pitch in the dirt to keep Freddie Freeman at third base.
Neither team produced much offense until the Brewers finally broke through in the seventh.
After Charlie Morton (0-1) hit Avisaíl García with a 1-2 pitch to start the inning, Tellez ripped another 1-2 offering from Morton over the centerfield wall to break a scoreless tie. The hefty, bearded slugger had gone 1 of 13 against the Braves this season until delivering that 411-foot drive.
Tellez was activated from the injured list Saturday after missing about three weeks with a right patella strain.
Atlanta’s Joc Pederson lofted a pinch-hit homer off Houser (1-0) with two outs in the eighth.
Carlos Correa was aggressive at the plate. Same for Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker. Jose Altuve turned in a couple of gems in the field.
The Astros are relentless — especially in the playoffs.
Astros go up 2-0:
Correa hit a two-run double during Houston’s five-run seventh inning, and the Astros beat the White Sox 9-4 on Friday for a 2-0 lead in their AL Division Series.
“They’ve been here before and they’ve experienced it,” Houston manager Dusty Baker said. “Belief is a big part of this game and belief will take you a long, long ways — and these guys as a unit, they believe.”
Sure looks that way. Tucker homered and drove in three runs as the Astros moved within one win of their fifth straight appearance in the AL Championship Series. Alex Bregman had two hits and scored twice, and Altuve made a couple of big plays.
“I think experience plays a huge part of it,” Correa said. “The moment is never too big for the guys in that clubhouse.”
Arozarena shines: Randy Arozarena is off and running in October again.
The rookie showstopper became the first player to hit a homer and steal home in a postseason game, propelling the Rays to a 5-0 victory over the Red Sox in their AL Division Series opener Thursday night.
The breakout star of October last year, Arozarena made a breathtaking dash to the plate for the first straight steal of home in the postseason since Jackie Robinson did it for the Brooklyn Dodgers against Yogi Berra and the Yankees in the 1955 World Series, according to the FS1 broadcast.
“I noticed the pitcher wasn’t really keeping his attention to me. So I was able to take a big enough lead and be able to take that base,” Arozarena said through a translator. “That’s the first time I’ve ever stolen home.”