Correa’s ninth-inning homer puts Astros past Angels
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Carlos Correa hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the ninth inning and the Houston Astros split a short series against the AL West rival Los Angeles Angels with a 4-2 victory Tuesday.
Kyle Tucker and Aledmys Díaz hit back-to-back homers in the second inning for the Astros, who went an impressive 5-1 on their six-game road trip to start the season amid the incessant booing and jeering they'll hear indefinitely as fans react to their sign-stealing scandal in the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
“They seem unfazed by all the jeers and all the booing,” Houston manager Dusty Baker said. “It helped them concentrate even more at the start of the year. This team is very secure in their abilities, and they're secure on and off the field.”
Mike Trout hit a 464-foot homer in the first inning and Shohei Ohtani had two hits, but the Angels dropped to 4-2 and failed to match the best six-game start in franchise history.
After starting pitchers Zack Greinke and Dylan Bundy traded strong innings early, Yordan Álvarez singled in the ninth off new Angels closer Raisel Iglesias (1-1).
Correa then crushed an 0-2 fastball off the low video board above the right field wall at Angel Stadium for his first homer of the season.
“You want to get all of these close wins that you can," Correa said. “I don't know how many walk-offs I've got in my career, how many in the ninth inning, but I like hitting late in the game, when the game is on the line. That's when I feel sexy.”
Iglesias has already given up two homers this season — one more than he allowed in all of 2020 with Cincinnati.
“I definitely believe my stuff is still there,” said Iglesias, who also has a win and a save for Los Angeles. “My confidence is still there, too. I'm going to keep going up there even if they hit 20 homers off me.”
Ryan Pressly (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for Houston, getting Justin Upton to ground into a game-ending double play.
“The guys are seeing the ball really well,” said Pressly, who approached Baker before the game to ask for more work. “We're pitching really well and playing really good defense. We're kind of clicking all around. You're not going to win the season in April, but you can definitely lose it, so it's been great to see, for sure.”
Angels fans again serenaded
the Astros' veterans with choruses of boos, showing most baseball fans' anger over Houston's sign-stealing scandal. Although nobody threw a trash can onto the Angel Stadium field as they did in the series opener, the day crowd included a fan in a fullsize Oscar the Grouch costume.
TIGERS 4, TWINS 3, 10 INNINGS
DETROIT (AP) — Akil Baddoo added another big hit in this charmed start to his big league career, lining an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Tigers a victory over the Twins.
Baddoo made his debut Sunday and homered on the first pitch thrown to him. Then he hit a grand slam in a 15-6 loss to the Twins on Monday. The rookie entered Tuesday's game as a pinch-runner, stayed in to the play the outfield and ended it with a hit to right off Hansel Robles (0-1).
The 22-year-old Baddoo was taken by the Tigers from the Twins' last December in the Rule 5 draft of players left off 40-man rosters. Nelson Cruz and Byron Buxton homered for the Twins, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit.
Gregory Soto (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for Detroit, and the Tigers scored in their half of the 10th.
NATIONALS 6, BRAVES 5
WASHINGTON (AP) — Juan Soto drove in the winning run with a single on a 3-0 pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday, lifting the coronavirus-depleted Nationals to a comeback victory over the Braves after waiting five days to start their season.
Lefty reliever Will Smith entered for the ninth and promptly gave up a single to new leadoff hitter Victor Robles, then hit Trea Turner with a pitch. That brought up Soto, the 2020 NL batting champion who delivered a line drive to center field, then tossed his red helmet high in the air before being mobbed by teammates who sprinted from the home dugout to meet him.