(TSX / STATS) — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jose Altuve’s prayer was answered.
Altuve hit a two-run homer as the Houston Astros sent 10 men to the plate in a five-run ninth inning to beat the Kansas City Royals 6-1 on Thursday night.
Josh Reddick began the ninth with a four-pitch walk before Altuve connected. He did not want manager A.J. Hinch to put on the take sign before Kelvin Herrera threw a strike.
“I think when a pitcher walks one batter with four pitches, he wants to come back to the zone,” Altuve said. “I was praying for A.J. to let me hit. He gave me the green light, and I hit a good pitch.”
Lance McCullers’ no-hit bid ended with one out in the seventh when he gave up a triple to Kansas City’s Lorenzo Cain. After McCullers struck out Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas’ single to right drove in Cain to make it 1-1.
In the ninth, Altuve hit a Kelvin Herrera (1-2) fastball on a 1-0 pitch out to left-center to break a 1-1 tie.
“It starts with the lead-off walk, which probably won’t get talked about a ton,” Hinch said. “But Reddick set the tone. Jose hunted a heater after a lot of balls from Herrera.”
The inning also included a triple from Carlos Correa, who scored on a Brian McCann sacrifice fly. Jake Marisnick drove in the other two runs with a single.
“Herrera was just flat,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He struggled with his command. He threw five straight balls and got a pitch up to Altuve. He didn’t miss it. He’s a strong guy and he put it in the seats. Just a great game until the ninth inning and things kind of caved in on us.”
Herrera’s ERA jumped to 5.55 as he gave up four runs in one-third of an inning.
Will Harris (2-1) picked up the victory with a scoreless eighth inning.
Houston’s Nori Aoki scored on a Jason Hammel balk in the sixth. Hammel allowed four hits and struck out four in seven innings.
“Trust the process, have confidence in what you’re doing and things will turn around,” Hammel said. “Two good ones in a row. Again, no walks and that’s what I try to focus on. More ground balls this time than last time out, so it means we’re getting to the bottom of the zone.”
Hammel lobbied Yost to remain in the game.
“I definitely wanted to go back out there,” Hammel said. “It’s not my call to make. I tried to plead as much as I could. I felt like I put on a pretty good argument, but ultimately in that situation let the bullpen do their job. It’s their job to finish up those late tight games like that.
“I did my job tonight. I tried to go out and keep trying to do it because I felt good. Things are starting to head in the right direction, so obviously you want to keep doing that. We had a chance to win, so I can’t be too upset about it.”
McCullers faced the minimum number of batters the first five innings. He wound up pitching seven innings and yielding a run on two hits and two walks. McCullers struck out eight.
“His curveball is better, but tonight his changeup was exceptional,” Yost said. “And he threw more of them tonight than he has been. He had a good one and he was using it.”
The Royals’ only early baserunner was rookie Jorge Bonifacio, who walked with one out in the first. He was instantly erased when Cain rolled into a 6-4-3 double play.
The only thing close to an early Kansas City hit was Alcides Escobar’s third-inning high chopper on which McCullers made a leaping catch and threw out the batter at first.
NOTES: The Astros put RHP Dallas Keuchel on the 10-day disabled list for the second time in three weeks with a pinched nerved in his neck. The Astros promoted RHP Francis Martes from Triple-A Fresno to replace Keuchel on the roster. They moved RHP Collin McHugh, who has shoulder tendinitis, to the 60-day disabled list. … Royals C Salvador Perez did not play because of a sprained thumb. He will return to the lineup Friday. … The Astros finished their trip with an 8-2 record. The Royals went 5-5 on their homestand. … Astros RHP Joe Musgrove threw a bullpen and could come off the disabled list Monday and start. … The Royals open a 10-day, nine-game trip Friday in San Diego. Kansas City rookie LHP Eric Skoglund and Padres RHP Jhoulys Chacin are the probables for the first game. … Astros RHP Brad Peacock and Los Angeles Angels RHP Matt Shoemaker are the scheduled starters for Friday at Houston.
Photo credit – Charlie Riedel / Associated Press / Kansas City, MO
