Straw delivers in 11th for Astros to cap stellar pitching outings
Myles Straw’s RBI single with one out in the bottom of 11th inning lifted the Houston Astros over the Colorado Rockies 2-1 on Tuesday, extending their winning streak to a season-high six games.
The back-and-forth finish came after the teams were scoreless going into extra innings, highlighted by splendid performances from starters Zack Greinke and Antonio Senzatela.
The right-handers had nearly identical lines: They both went eight innings, allowed just three singles and walked none. Greinke struck out seven for Houston, one more than Senzatela.
After both teams scored in the 10th, Abraham Toro started Houston’s 11th on second base and the Rockies intentionally walked pinch-hitter Carlos Correa. A sacrifice bunt by pinch-hitter Garrett Stubbs moved up the runners and Straw singled to left field off Jairo Díaz (0-1).
Andre Scrubb (1-0) walked one in a scoreless 11th for the win.
The Astros wrapped up a 7-1 homestand after losing five in a row. The Rockies have dropped five of their past six.
Raimel Tapia hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th to put Colorado up 1-0. A sacrifice fly by Kyle Tucker scored Alex Bregman and tied it in the bottom of the 10th.
The eight innings matched a career high for Senzatela, who last got through eight on May 26, 2017, against St. Louis.
Greinke allowed two singles in the first inning and Charlie Blackmon singled to start the fourth, but still faced the minimum in that inning after Nolan Arenado grounded into a double play.
Grienke didn’t allow a baserunner after that, sailing through the next four innings with the help of several groundouts.
Senzatela didn’t allow a hit until a single by Bregman with two outs in the fourth inning. Yuli Gurriel followed with a single, but Tucker grounded into a forceout to end the inning.
PADRES6, RANGERS 4>> Wil Myers hit a first-inning grand slam and the San Diego Padres, with Fernando Tatis Jr. again leading the charge, completed a two-game sweep. Jurickson Profar added a tworun homer against his former team, and five Padres relievers combined for six scoreless innings to close out the victory.
DODGERS2, MARINERS 1 >> Corey Seager singled home Austin Barnes with the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning, and Los Angeles won its seventh consecutive game. Barnes scored both runs for the Dodgers, who improved to an NL-best 18-7 and sent the Mariners to their seventh straight defeat.
The catcher walked and stole his first base of the season before Seager drove him in with a two-out drive through the shift in right.
HARVEY TO MAKE RETURN FOR ROYALS >> The positive COVID-19 test that forced the Cincinnati Reds to postpone their two games against Pittsburgh last weekend has also forced the Royals’ Matt Harvey to delay his year-long wait to return to a big league mound.
The Reds and Royals were supposed to begin a two-game series in Kansas City on Tuesday night, but Major League Baseball decided to postpone the game to give Cincinnati more time for testing. Now, the clubs will play a doubleheader today.
“It’s not strange. It’s more exciting than anything,” said Harvey, who pitched against the Royals for the New York Mets in the 2015 World Series, and will be starting Game 2 against Trevor Bauer. Harvey hasn’t pitched since the released him last July.
CUBS’ BRYANT OUT AFTER INJECTION >> Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant got an injection for his ailing left wrist, sidelining the slugger for at least two days. Manager David Ross said Bryant also saw a specialist for the injury.
The Cubs also placed outfielder Steven Souza Jr. on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain.
RAYS’ 2-WAY PLAYER MCKAY TO HAVE SEASON-ENDING SURGERY >> Tampa Bay Rays twoway rookie Brendan McKay will have season-ending surgery on his left throwing shoulder today.
McKay was 2-4 with a 5.14 ERA in 13 games (11 starts) last season, and went 2 for 10 with a home run as a designated hitter. He’s also played 49 minor league games at first base.
FRANCONA TO UNDERGO SURGERY, MISS SERIES WITH PIRATES >> Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona will undergo surgery this week and miss his team’s threegame series with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the club announced.
General manager Mike Chernoff said Francona will have a “scheduled procedure” to address a chronic gastrointestinal issue that has bothered the skipper for a year and caused him to miss eight games earlier this month. It’s Francona’s second procedure this month to address the issue, Cleveland.com reported.
MARKAKIS, EXPOSED TO VIRUS, GOES ON IL >> The Atlanta Braves placed Nick Markakis on the injured list, and revealed that the outfielder has been potentially exposed to COVID-19. The Braves stated Tuesday that Markakis hasn’t tested positive.
“He has tested negative for the virus, but out of an abundance of caution, Markakis has been placed on the injured list,” the team said in a statement.