Altuve the trump card in latest battle vs. an ace
Los Angeles Dodgers ace Zack Greinke has been better than Sonny Gray, Madison Bumgarner or Chris Archer, if ERA is your statistic of choice. Maybe batting average against is more your cup of tea. Greinke came into Saturday night’s start leading the majors in both categories at 1.58 and .193, respectively.
He’s elite, but this go-around, that status didn’t prove too much for Astros hitters.
A day after underdog Mike Fiers delivered the first no-hitter in Minute Maid Park’s history, the Astros bested top dog Greinke and took their second straight game from the Dodgers, winning 3-1. The Astros can sweep the three-game series Sunday before heading to New York for three games against the Yan-
kees starting Monday. But they have to go through Clayton Kershaw first.
“We don’t care who we’re playing,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “I’d like to sweep these guys. And it’s going to be a tough matchup. We’re going to have to bring our best to beat the Dodgers again.
“I think people outside this room, outside this clubhouse, care more about what these series mean. I think our guys know it’s another win under our belt. We need many more of them to get where we want to get.”
Gray, Bumgarner and Archer all dispatched the Astros recently, leading observers to wonder how a lineup that appears two-faced at times would handle the best pitchers in the playoffs.
A reasonable answer: just as it did Saturday.
“I guess this is the definition of taking advantage of every opportunity,” Hinch said, referring to the Astros’ three hits total on the night.
Scott Kazmir — taken 15th overall by the New York Mets in an epic 2002 amateur draft that saw Greinke selected nine spots earlier by Kansas City — struck out eight in six innings. Coming off his only bad start since joining the Astros, Kazmir (7-8) returned to his usual form in his sixth outing with his hometown team. He was aggressive with his fastball early.
“Just felt a little bit more in tune,” Kazmir said. “Felt like I was able to attack the strike zone, which, last couple starts, it was a little bit of trouble hitting my spots.”
The Astros have won 20 of their last 25 games at home and are 44-21 at Minute Maid on the season. With 39,999 tickets sold on the night Craig Biggio’s Hall of Fame induction was honored, his All-Star successor atop the lineup at second base jump-started the offense. Triple for starters
Jose Altuve tripled off Greinke (13-3) leading off the bottom of the first and scored two batters later.
Luis Valbuena’s teamleading 22nd home run made it 2-0 in the second inning. Valbuena took Greinke’s full-count fastball over the heart of the dish into the Astros’ bullpen.
Valbuena said he was looking for the heater.
The Dodgers cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the sixth. Jimmy Rollins’ leadoff double preceded Justin Turner’s one-out single.
Altuve got the run right back, and a personal achievement along with it, in the bottom of the sixth. He homered off Greinke for his 10th of the season.
“Ha! He’s good, you know?” Valbuena said of Altuve. “He tries to sometimes hit a home run, and he knows what he can do at home plate. He’s unbelievable.” Power surge
Fourteen times in his career, Biggio reached double figures in home runs. This is the first occasion for Altuve.
“I’d like to answer that question, but I don’t really know,” Altuve said when asked where the power has come from. “I feel like I’m the same kind of player I was a couple years ago, and I just swing the bat, and somehow it happens.”
Altuve also became the ninth Astros player to reach double-digit homers this season, tying the club record of the 2000 Astros — a mark that could easily be broken with several weeks to play.
Altuve, who finished 2-for-3 and is hitting .307, had never homered and tripled in the same game before.
“I don’t think he really has a different swing for power or a different swing for contact,” Hinch said. “I think the more comfortable, the more rhythm that he gets, he hunts mistakes pretty well. I don’t think he was trying to hit a homer there. I think he was just trying to hit the ball hard.
“This guy contributes in so many different ways, especially when he’s comfortable. When he’s comfortable and recognizing pitches, it’s a sight to see, as all our fans know.”
The no-hit watch didn’t end quickly for Astros fans.
The Dodgers didn’t get their first hit until the fourth, when Rollins lined a single to left-center — after 30 straight L.A. outs dating to Friday. He wasn’t satisfied with first base, though. Assist from Rasmus
Left fielder Colby Rasmus cut off the ball on two hops and fired to Altuve, who got the tag down as Rollins tried to stretch the hit into a double. John Hirschbeck’s out call was confirmed on a Dodgers challenge.
Asked afterward if he was surprised by Altuve’s power, Kazmir smiled. There’s no pitcher Altuve has more hits off than Kazmir, with 13 in 25 at-bats (including one homer).
“If you look at the numbers, me against him, yeah, I’ve known about it for a while,” Kazmir said. “He’s got some power. Look at the eighth-inning highlights on the Jumbotron. It reminds me.”