[ad_1]
Posted 5:11 am on September 6, 2018
HOUSTON (AP) – With the way Alex Bregman has beaten lately, Houston Astros manager, A.J. Hinch said it was unfortunate that the team had a day off Thursday.
Bregman conceded victory to five career RBIs to lead the Astros to a 9-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night. Bregman extended his winning streak to 33 games, a period when he hit .360 with a base percentage of .449.
"It's a step in the right direction, but there's still a lot to improve and improve," said Bregman. "That's what this game is the best – it's a game of failure.You can be at the top of the world one day and 0 to 4. The next day you can never be too high. or too low. "
Evan Gattis also won his 25th homerun of the season.
The defending champions have won five straight games, finishing a 10-game home game with a 7-3 record. Houston has won 12 of its last 15 games by playing in a three-game series in Boston against the team with the best record in baseball.
Bregman gave the Astros a 2-0 lead in round three with his 29th circuit of the season, an online shot from Jake Odorizzi in the Crawford Boxes left. He then added a three-point double to the left wall, the loaded bases in the eighth inning, his 47th double in the MLB of the season, set Houston 9-1.
"He puts so many quality bats one after the other," said Hinch. "It's difficult to expect this level because it's not as simple as these guys sometimes do, but he has some really good shots to go in. He does not miss them – he does damage."
Gattis extended Houston's lead to 4-0 thanks to a two-point run in the fourth inning after Odorizzi, also left on the first pitch of his stick.
Houston went up 5-1 with a RBI single from Yuli Gurriel (5-10), who allowed five runs on four hits and four goals in four innings and two-thirds.
"We just had a hard time holding some of the extremely hot guys right now," said Twins manager Paul Molitor. "Bregman is probably as hot as anyone I have seen for some time in terms of good statistics and baseball driving."
At one point, the Twins even tried a four-man turn against Bregman.
Houston starter Framber Valdez (3-1) had 5 1/3 innings, allowing a run of five hits and three walks while hitting five. He is the first pitcher in the club's history – and the sixth in MLB history – to begin his career with four consecutive appearances of at least 4 1/3 innings, allowing one or more innings in each of these exits.
Valdez struggled with his accuracy by throwing two four-shot shots at his first three hitters before escaping the first run with a double play, a move that Valdez later called "great relief". The only escaped Twins Valdez arrived in the fifth inning on a solo circuit of Willians Astudillo.
"He worked from there, I just stood firm," said Hinch. "I almost managed to put the balls in the first inning, and he managed to cross that very strange line for him for the first two runs, as it could easily have imploded him."
Jose Altuve finally managed a long, smooth streak with a brace on the left-lane in the sixth inning that scored George Springer. After scoring in the first run and escaping in the third inning, Altuve extended his series of 19-hit strikes, the longest shootout series of his career.
"I'm telling you one thing, Jose Altuve will be the MVP that he was for the rest of the season," Bregman said. "He is a special hitter and he always makes my job much easier."
TRAINER ROOM
Twins: 3B Miguel Sano wanted to take batting practice on Wednesday afternoon, but the Twins finally held it as a precaution. Sano was sent off the track on Tuesday night with a bruise on his left lower leg after slipping into second base. On Wednesday, he was not doing well but Minnesota coach Paul Molitor said he had a good chance to play on Friday. . OF Eddie Rosario (quadriceps ache) has taken off and could return Friday.
Astros: RHP Charlie Morton (shoulder) will probably leave for Houston on Saturday in Boston, unless there is a setback, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. Morton was placed on the 10-day disabled list on August 29 with a discomfort in the right shoulder. If Morton is unable to start, rookie Josh James should start, said Hinch. . RHP Lance McCullers (forearm) on Wednesday kicked off a brief training session, Hinch said. . IF / OF Marwin Gonzalez (oblique) and RP Hector Rondon (wrist) should be available for the Boston series, said Hinch.
BREGMAN & # 39; S BAT
In the 10-game home series, Bregman averaged .486 with seven doubles, five homers and 17 RBIs. He has hit four home runs in his last five games and has had a free-kick in five straight games, the longest run for the Astros since Morgan Ensberg played in six straight games in April 2006.
FOLLOWING
Twins: Stephen Gonsalves (0-2, 9.90 ERA) will serve as the so-called "main pitcher" in the Twins' third attempt at the experimental approach of throwing a pitcher for a run or two as a penalty. opening before a primary launcher enters. The Twins host Kansas City on Friday.
Astros: Gerrit Cole (13-5, 2.86 ERA) will be leaving for Houston when he travels to Boston on Friday night for the start of a three-game series. Cole is 1-0 in a start against the Red Sox this season where he made seven innings and allowed three runs, five hits, one walk and seven strikeouts in a 7-3 win on June 1st.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
Source link