A reliable springboard
Club-record HR by Springer starts early burst that pen makes stand up
The Tigers are on pace to lose 114 games. Whatever self-belief they gained from Victor Reyes’ leadoff home run Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park, the Astros stomped it out the first chance they had to strike back.
On the American League’s deepest lineup, the top provided the most pop, a one-two knockout blow of consecutive opposite-field home runs by George Springer and Jose Altuve that thrust the Astros to a 6-3 victory.
Martin Maldonado beefed up the lead with a home run he rocketed to left field in the fifth inning. It traveled 108.3 mph and pelted an advertisement beneath the train tracks.
The Astros have 215 home runs. They struck 165 through 127 games last season.
“We got stronger,” Altuve deadpanned.
Springer’s 10th leadoff homer set a single-season franchise record, surpassing the one he set in 2017. It was his 34th career leadoff home run and 27th this season. Altuve’s homer was his 23rd this season.
The lineup’s depth proved necessary. In the second, Maldonado walked and nine-hole hitter Jack Mayfield, starting in replace of the injured Carlos Correa, doubled.
With two outs, Altuve topped a slider. The ball rolled foul, turned fair, teased third baseman Dawel Lugo, and went for an infield hit that allowed Maldonado to score.
Altuve improved to 11 for 33 (.333) with two outs and runners in scoring position this season. Michael Brantley bested him, improving to
18 for 49 (.367) in the same situation, with a double that drove in Mayfield and Altuve for a 5-0 lead off Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull
(3-12, 4.05 ERA), who lasted three innings.
Altuve and Brantley’s clutch hits carried clout. For a second consecutive night facing statistically moribund pitching, Houston’s prolific offense caught fire quickly but burned out. The Astros could not deliver more runs in nine other opportunities with runners in scoring position — which only happened once after the fourth inning — and left 10 men on base.
Aaron Sanchez, who made his fourth start for the Astros, lasted 2½ innings. After the game he revealed that soreness in his right pectoral muscle has bothered him since before the Astros acquired him from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline.
The Astros placed him on the injured list “to protect him,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said, in preparation for Houston’s playoff push.
Reyes’ leadoff homer was only the second time he has gone deep in his 333 major-league at-bats. It might have been the first sign that Sanchez would not last long.
Sanchez made a 5-1 lead look fragile. The righthander could not get through the third inning. The first three Tigers reached base on two hits and one walk. Seeing Sanchez lose grip of his start and feeling the game slipping away,
Hinch called for righthander Brad Peacock, who had not pitched in 55 days because of shoulder discomfort, to get warm.
Sanchez walked the fourth batter, Miguel Cabrera, to push across one run. Hinch let Sanchez record the first out before removing him.
Sanchez threw 46 pitches. He has a 4.82 ERA with the Astros.
Hinch originally wanted a “soft landing” and not a “game-deciding situation” for Peacock’s return from injury.
Peacock entered with the bases loaded. He almost stranded them. He induced weak contact, but it was too weak. A slow groundout let the Tigers score, cut their deficit to two and charged Sanchez with a third earned run.
Peacock, whose permanent demeanor resembles waiting for a bus, shrugged when asked about the pressure.
“It was fine,” he said. “Trying to save some runs there. Keep the game where it’s at. That’s about it. I felt great.”
Six Astros relievers gave up six hits and one walk, but none of the Tigers they put on base reached third. The bullpen struck out 10 batters.
Peacock (7-6, 4.05 ERA) smoothed over a single he allowed in the fourth to earn his first win since June 11.
Collin McHugh, another starter-turned-reliever for the Astros, overcame three hits with four strikeouts in two scoreless innings. Roberto Osuna converted his 29th save.
Despite the news that Correa and Sanchez will be placed on the injured list, the Astros, giddy to get to the playoffs, did not appear any less confident. Another victory kept the clubhouse mood from deflating.
“You missed your chance,” starter Gerrit Cole, with boyish enthusiasm, rushed to tell Altuve.
Cole had been listening in. He hoped to hear the second baseman joke about “juicy” baseballs.