LOS ANGELES, Oct 5, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Houston pitcher Justin Verlander threw
seven scoreless innings and Jose Altuve belted a two-run homer to propel the
Astros to a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in game one of their Major
League Baseball playoff series on Friday.
Verlander took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and eventually departed
having allowed just one hit and three walks while striking out eight in his
14th career playoff win.
Altuve also lived up to his reputation as a playoff performer, breaking a
scoreless tie in the fifth inning when he smacked a fastball from Rays
starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow into the left field stands for a home run that
also scored Josh Reddick.
“I was looking for a pitch that I can handle,” Altuve said. “He was
throwing so (well) through the game. His fastball was almost invisible.
“He got some cut with something, I don’t know. I was looking for no one
specific pitch. I was just looking up and I got lucky. He threw it there and
I could hit it.”
Glasnow had allowed just three singles through the first four innings
before waking Reddick to open the fifth. Glasnow then struck out George
Springer to bring up Altuve, who has homered in the first game of the
American League Division Series for three straight years.
The Astros scored two more runs in the inning, after Rays relief pitcher
Brendan McKay put two more runners on base and both scored on a fielding
error.
Run-scoring doubles from Yorand Alvarez and Yuli Gurriel made it 6-0 after
seven, the Rays putting two runs up off reliever Ryan Pressly after Verlander
left the mound.
The Astros, trying to capture their second World Series title in three
years, host game two of the best-of-five series on Saturday.
The winner of the series will take on either the New York Yankees or
Minnesota Twins, who opened their best-of-five set later Friday.
In National League Division Series action, Mike Foltynewicz threw seven
solid shutout innings as the Atlanta Braves rebounded from a loss to beat the
St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 and even their series at one game each.
Foltynewicz earned his first career playoff win, allowing three hits and no
walks while striking out seven batters.
Foltynewicz threw strikes on 51 of his 81 pitches as he effectively
interchanged his fastball with his slider.
He won the battle between two of the NL’s top pitchers over the last two
months as Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty took the loss.
Foltynewicz was an all-star in 2018 but his game dropped off and he spent
two months earlier this season in the minor leagues. Since being recalled he
is 4-1 with a superb 1.73 ERA.
Flaherty allowed three runs on eight hits and one walk with eight
strikeouts.
The Los Angeles Dodgers take the field later Friday as they try to grab a
commanding 2-0 lead when they host game two against the Washington Nationals.
The Dodgers are trying to get back to the World Series for a third straight
year, after falling in the championship showpiece to the Astros in 2017 and
the Boston Red Sox last year.