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HOUSTON – For the second time in this series, Chas McCormick was the Minute Maid Park hero for the Astros. Two days after winning Friday’s game with a hit from the pitch, McCormick crushed a 417-foot homerun in the eighth inning to give Houston the lead for good in a 7-6 victory over the D-back on Sunday afternoon.
The Astros came in in the eighth behind by two, but a pair of rookie outfielders – Jose Siri and McCormick – hit back-to-back homers in deep left field for D-back reliever Brandyn Sittinger.
“Young people are coming to get us,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “It was one of the best wins we’ve had in a long time. If you want to be a champion team, you have to have the art of coming back. You have to find a way, and today we have found a way.
Siri wasn’t even expected to play on Sunday, but he took the opportunity after being propelled into action as a replacement for Kyle Tucker, who left with right shoulder discomfort. Siri’s two-run explosion came out of a slider and he stopped to soak up the moment before getting around the basics.
“I knew he was going to leave the park as soon as I hit him,” Siri, who has scored three times in his last six games, said via an interpreter. “I really liked this course and I understood it very well. It was great to take a second there and feel the energy [from the fans] in the park then look in the canoe and see all the horny guys.
“It was crazy,” McCormick said of the eighth inning celebrations. “The canoe was crazy.”
Given that Siri had just girded Sittinger’s slider, McCormick wasn’t surprised when he received a steady diet of fastballs. He said his timing was slightly off on Sittinger’s first pitch, which he committed, and the second was mistaken for a ball. The third, McCormick was ready.
“Siri pushed that slider pretty far, so I had a feeling it was coming [with a] fast pitch for me, ”said McCormick, who called his home run the top of the moments in his young MLB career. “He threw it in the middle, and I put a good swing on it.”
For the Houston offense, it was a game interrupted by long balls. Carlos Correa hit a three-runner against D-backs starter Zac Gallen in the first inning, and after scoring just one run over the next six innings, Siri and McCormick brought the Astros back to life when they needed it most.
For Baker, the rookies are a nice change of pace for the contending squad led by top veterans like Correa and Jose Altuve.
“Young guys bring energy and excitement, just like your kids,” Baker said. “They bring the silly stuff. It is the exuberance of youth. I have always liked the combination of the two. They bring you energy and life, and veterans bring knowledge and wisdom. “
On the pitching side, veteran starting Zack Greinke struggled for a second straight start, allowing five runs in four innings. Greinke started the game with two scoreless frames, but admitted after the game he was tired as his start wore on, punctuated by a four-run fourth for the D-backs who featured a five-consecutive hitting streak hitting – four in singles and the fifth via a step.
But rookie Peter Solomon kept Houston within striking distance with four one-run innings in relief. With the heroism of Siri and McCormick late in the round, Solomon was in contention for his first career victory.
“Salomon kept us in the game,” said Baker. “Not only that, but he also saved my bullpen. “
The Astros are on a 17-day stretch without a day off, and the first two games of the series have both gone to the extras. Plus, Friday’s win was a bullpen game following injuries to starting pitchers Jake Odorizzi and Framber Valdez.
The only usual hunk from the bullpen to appear was Ryan Pressly, who closed in the ninth by taking the side out while getting his 25th save of the season. It was Pressly’s third straight day with a scoreless inning, which will likely make him unavailable for Monday’s road game against the Los Angeles Angels.
For the season, Sunday’s win improved the Astros at the top of the AL-West to 88-61 and lowered their magic number to win the Division to eight with 13 games to go. This is the sixth victory in the last eight games for Houston, who appears to be in great shape heading into the playoffs.
“We needed this one,” McCormick said. “Every game for the rest of the season is huge. It was important to gain momentum for this road trip.
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