Springer the spark for Astros
HOUSTON — George Springer homered twice, including an inside-the-park shot, to lead the Astros over the Diamondbacks 3-2 on Sunday.
Carlos Correa drove in the go-ahead run for the Astros with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.
Springer’s two homers gave him 13 this year. He’s set to become a free agent in the offseason, so it might have been his final home game with the Astros.
“We hope not,” manager Dusty Baker said. “I certainly hope that we get to the point where he puts enough pressure on the Astros to sign him. I mean, this guy is a heck of a player, and I think his best years are still ahead of him. This ballpark is perfect for him.”
The Astros improved to 27-26 and will finish the regular season on the road against the Mariners and Rangers.
Springer’s first of the day was an inside-the-park homer off Taylor Widener in the sixth inning on a fly ball to center field that bounced off the wall, over the head of a leaping
Daulton Varsho. It was his second career inside-the-park homer.
Springer’s second homer came in the seventh off Hector Rondon. Springer pumped his first after the ball narrowly cleared the fence and a leaping Kole Calhoun to tie the game at 2.
The seventh-inning homer was the 2,000th hit by an Astros player at Minute Maid Park, which opened in 2000.
The Astros took the lead in the eighth on Correa’s sac fly off Junior Guerra (1-2) that scored Alex Bregman.