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Carlos Correa was aggressive at home plate. Ditto for Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker. Jose Altuve returned some gems on the pitch.
The Houston Astros are relentless, especially in the playoffs.
Correa netted a two-run brace in Houston’s five-point seventh inning, and the Astros beat the Chicago White Sox 9-4 on Friday to a 2-0 lead in their AL Division series.
“They’ve been here before and they’ve experienced it,” said Houston manager Dusty Baker. “Belief is a big part of this game and belief will take you a long, long way – and these guys as a unit, they believe.”
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Of course, it looks that way.
Tucker had a homeroom and had three runs as the Astros moved within one win of their fifth straight appearance in the AL Championship Series. Alex Bregman had two hits and scored twice, and Altuve made some big plays.
“I think experience plays a big role,” Correa said. “The timing is never too great for the guys at this clubhouse.”
The third best-of-five series game is Sunday night in Chicago.
The Astros took the lead for good on Alvarez’s single tiebreaker against Aaron Bummer (0-1) with a seventh strikeout. Craig Kimbrel then took over and pulled Yuli Gurriel out before Correa’s run to the right passed Leury García, who turned around trying to regain the ball.
Correa shouted and motioned for the crowd to shout with him as he reached second place. The star shortstop is eligible for free agency after this season, and it’s going to cost AL West champion Astros pretty dear to keep him.
The versatile García had just moved from second base to the right, replacing Adam Engel.
“They are really good, but I think we also played really well,” said White Sox manager Tony La Russa. “But they played better – just enough.”
Tucker then punctuated the inning with a two-runner shot in the left seats, taking Houston to a 9-4 lead.
The Astros had 10 hits for the second straight day, but their defense stole the show.
Altuve led the way. He managed a dive to take a hit from Andrew Vaughn in the sixth. He impressed again when he fielded a sharp ground shot from Eloy Jiménez and managed to throw it to first base in time for the first of the eighth.
Gurriel got the first two outs of the fourth when the first baseman made an unassisted double play, and Tucker rushed to grab a ball hit by Yasmani Grandal with runners in the first and second through the seventh.
“Defense is something that we work on before we even strike,” Baker said. “These guys are proud of the defense. And so that’s something that I think is overlooked by a lot of clubs, but never on my clubs.”
The Astros earned a 6-1 win in Game 1 behind a splendid start from Lance McCullers Jr. Framber Valdez struggled in Game 2, allowing four runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.
The White Sox took a 4-2 lead with three points in the fifth. Luis Robert and José Abreu each hit a single RBI, and Grandal added a sacrifice fly.
But the Astros tied in the bottom half on a two-run single from Gurriel. It was the first hit of the series for the AL batting champion.
The loss drops AL champion Central White Sox to 0-6 in Houston this season. They are trying to avoid another early exit from the playoffs after being knocked out by Oakland in the first round last year.
“We’re back to the wall right now,” said shortstop Tim Anderson. “We know what we need to do, we need to take care of business. Things will get better. It’s good to come home, for sure.”
Robert and Anderson had three hits each. Abreu, who had been slowed down by flu-like symptoms, had two hits and drove while running.
White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito allowed four runs and three hits in 4 1/3 innings. He tied a season-high with five walks in his second career playoff start.
Giolito has pitched full games in his previous two starts against the Astros, including a three-hit in a 10-1 win on July 17.
The Houston relievers box closed the White Sox after Valdez’s early exit, with five relievers combining for 4 2/3 innings of four hitting balls. Ryne Stanek (1-0) worked the seventh for the win.
Alvarez, who scored and produced two runs in Game 1, was formidable for the Astros on his return to the playoffs. The 2019 AL Rookie of the Year returned this season after being relegated to watching the team’s playoffs on television last year after undergoing surgery on both knees.
LEADING THE CHARTERS
Gurriel’s hit and two RBIs on Friday gave him the most playoff hits (52) and RBIs (27) of any Cuban in MLB history. He passed Yasiel Puig on the hit list and Tony Pérez in RBI.
FOLLOWING
After a day off, rookie Luis Garcia (11-8, 3.30 ERA) starts for Houston in Game 3. The White Sox have yet to name a starter for this game.
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