MLB playoffs: Astros level ALCS with Rangers while D-Backs edge Phillies
José Abreu hit a three-run homer right after Yordan Alvarez’s tiebreaking sacrifice fly, and the Houston Astros pulled even in the AL Championship Series with a 10-3 victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 4 on Thursday night.
Houston, who led 3-0 only four batters into the game, responded immediately after Texas got even on Corey Seager’s opposite-field homer in the third inning.
Adolis García also homered for the wildcard Rangers, who have dropped two games in a row at home after starting this postseason with seven consecutive wins – six on the road – that included sweeps of the AL’s two winningest teams, Baltimore and Tampa Bay.
Game 5 is Friday afternoon at Globe Life Field, where the Astros are 8-1 this season. This ALCS, in which the home team hasn’t led yet, then switches back to Houston for Game 6 on Sunday night.
Jose Altuve had three hits and scored three times in his 100th career playoff game. Alvarez drove in three runs, giving him 13 RBIs already this postseason, and Chas McCormick added a two-run homer.
Dane Dunning, who entered in relief in the first inning, had an 0-2 count against No 9 batter Martin Maldonado to open the fourth with the game tied before walking him and then Altuve.
Mauricio Dubón followed with his second soft single of the game before Alex Bregman struck out with the bases loaded. Rookie lefty Cody Bradford then came in to face Alvarez, whose 401ft sac fly to the warning track in center field came on the ninth pitch. Abreu then hit his fourth homer this postseason to make it 7-3.
Ryne Stanek got the victory while throwing only one pitch, inducing Mitch Garver’s inning-ending doubleplay grounder in the third.
The Astros have outscored Texas 74-32 in winning their last seven games at Globe Life. That includes their 8-5 win in Game 3 of the first postseason series between the instate AL West rivals.
Altuve opened the game with a double and Dubón, after three hits in Game 3, followed with a bloop single off Andrew Heaney. Bregman drove both home with a triple into the right-center gap, and the Rangers already had Dunning up in the bullpen before Alvarez singled to make it 3-0.
Seager became the first shortstop to homer in both the NLCS and ALCS with his 401ft solo drive to left-center with one out in the third. Astros starter José Urquidy then gave up back-to-back singles before Stanek took over.
The Rangers were down 7-3, but had two on with no outs in the fifth when a finger of Marcus Semien’s batting glove was the difference between a lineout and a crucial double play. The Rangers baserunner was sliding back to the bag at first base after Abreu snagged Corey Seager’s 108.6mph liner, lunging to tag Semien just as his hand reached the bag, and first base umpire Jordan Baker signaled safe.
The Astros challenged, and the video review showed Abreu’s glove grazing one of the fingers on the batting glove in Semien’s back pocket as the finger popped into the air from the rear pocket. Texas had only two more baserunners after that play.
Philadelphia Phillies 1-2 Arizona Diamondbacks
More than 15 minutes after the game, Ketel Marte stood at his clubhouse locker, gulping water while trying to finally catch his breath after delivering the Arizona Diamondbacks’ latest clutch postseason moment.
“After my hit, I sprinted so hard,” Marte said, shaking his head.
Marte capped a three-hit afternoon with a walk-off single in the ninth, rookie Brandon Pfaadt pitched five and two thirds scoreless innings and the Diamondbacks closed to 2-1 in the NL Championship Series by rallying to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on Thursday.
On the verge of falling behind 3-0 in the best-of-seven matchup, Arizona tied the score on Lourdes Gurriel Jr’s RBI double in the seventh.
Gurriel opened the ninth with a leadoff walk against Craig Kimbrel, stole second and took third on Pavin Smith’s infield single.
Gurriel was thrown out at the plate by shortstop Trea Turner on Emmanuel Rivera’s hard-hit grounder as the Phillies played the infield in. Geraldo Perdomo walked after falling behind 1-2 in the count and Marte – one of the few Diamondbacks who has looked comfortable at the plate this series – hit a liner that fell in front of center fielder
Johan Rojas, sending the D-backs onto the field in celebration.
“I felt like I could make some pitches to get us out of it,” Kimbrel said. “Sometimes you get them. Some days you don’t. Today just wasn’t that day.”
Marte said he wasn’t nervous during his at-bat. The 30-year-old is hitting .382 with four doubles, two homers and five RBIs in eight postseason games this year and has a 12-game postseason hitting streak.
“I’m not a pressure guy,” Marte said. “I know what kind of hitter I am.”
It was the third postseason walk-off win for the Diamondbacks after serieswinning hits by Tony Womack’s in the 2001 Division Series and Luis Gonzalez in 2001 World Series.
Defending NL champion Philadelphia had opened the postseason 7-1 and outscored the Diamondbacks 15-3 over two games at Citizens Bank Park, hitting six homers.
Bryce Harper put the Phillies ahead in the seventh when he scored on Ryan Thompson’s wild pitch.
“We are here at their place,” Harper said. “They played a really good game today. I thought both sides had good defense, good pitching. Just got to move on as soon as possible.”
After throwing four and one third scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS clincher, Pfaadt struck out nine and allowed two hits against the Phillies with a mid-90s fastball and a nifty sweeper that had hitters chasing. The 25-year-old righthander became the first pitcher in postseason history to have two straight outings giving up no runs and no walks.
“It was fun – I had a lot of things working,” Pfaadt said. “I was able to hone in on a few things, execute the way I wanted and get some big outs.”
Pfaadt combined with Andrew Saalfrank, Thompson, Kevin Ginkel and Paul Sewald on a three-hitter. Sewald, who got the win, stranded Harper on second in the ninth when Alec Bohm took a called third strike.
Philadelphia’s Ranger Suárez gave up three hits and struck out seven in five and one third innings, leaving after Marte’s leadoff double in the sixth. Suarez’s 0.94 ERA is the lowest in a pitcher’s first eight career postseason appearances.
“I was locating my pitches really well today,” Suárez said through an interpreter. “That helped me a lot.”
Harper walked against Saalfrank starting the seventh and Bohm followed with an infield single against Thompson. Bryson Stott grounded into a double play as Harper took third, and Thompson yanked an 0-1 slider that swerved over the left-handed batter’s box and bounced to the backstop. The ball rebounded to catcher Gabriel Montero, whose throw sailed past the pitcher covering the plate as Harper slid headfirst.
Arizona had been scoreless for 17 innings until the seventh. Tommy Pham singled off Orion Kerkering and Gurriel doubled down the left-field line. Smith singled to put runners at the corners but José Alvarado got Rivera to ground into a double play and Perdomo grounded out.
After nearly taking a 3-0 series lead, the Phillies planned to regroup.
“It could have gone either way, you know,” manager Rob Thomson said. “What are you going to do? I’m not going to think about it that way. I’m going to think about coming in here tomorrow and getting ready and getting ready to compete.”