After falling behind 2-0, Houston mounted a six-run comeback in the fifth inning. Yuli Gurriel hit a single, and José Altuve scored on a double. After a single by Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman was intentionally walked to put runners on first and second for Tucker. Tucker swung and missed at Sam Moll’s 82 mph slider on a 1-2 count, but the lefty threw it again, and this time Tucker smacked a home run a few rows deep in the right field stands.
Tucker boasted, “I hit it well, and I was like, ‘All right, sweet. I was ready to say “Please go over,” but then I remembered the time I flew out and changed my mind. The vote passed, and we’ve maintained our lead since.
As a result of Tucker’s 21st home run of the year, Houston jumped out to a 5-2 advantage. Aledmys Diaz and Jeremy Peralta kept the rally going after Moll (2-1) was taken out of the game with a single and a double, respectively, to push the lead to 6-2.
In six innings of work, Astros starter Luis Garcia (9-8) surrendered four runs on eight hits while fanning six. Garcia ended a losing string of three games in which he had been held to three runs or fewer in run support.
Early in the game, Oakland had a lot of runners on base despite Garcia’s best efforts to stop them. Vimal Machine scored on a double by Jonah Bride in the second inning, and Tony Kemp scored on a baulk by Garcia in the third to give Oakland a 2-0 lead. After the call, Garcia and Astros manager Dusty Baker had a short discussion with the umpires.
In the eighth inning, Skye Bolt doubled off of Will Smith, allowing Bride and Machine to score. Ramón Laureano’s single brought Oakland within one run, 6-5, as Bolt scored on the play.
Mark Kotsay, Oakland’s manager, credited the team’s bottom of the order for some of the night’s most productive at-bats. Tonight, we had 11 hits. They managed 11 hits. It’s too bad the one they used to take the lead was a grand slam.
After the A’s had put the tying run on base against Ryne Stanek in the ninth, Stanek was able to preserve the advantage by inducing a groundout from Bolt.
Pea scored the go-ahead run for the Astros in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Mauricio Dubón, and the final score was 7-5.
The men “over there play us rough,” Baker remarked. To give us some peace of mind, that was a huge run in the eighth inning. In the first few innings, they were dominating the game and everything was going their way. Up until Tucker’s massive knock, we were mainly just trading blows defensively.
Hector Neris, a reliever for the Astros, threw a perfect ninth inning, earning his second save of the year.
Oakland’s opening pitcher, Adam Oller, lasted 4 2/3 frames while allowing 5 hits and 2 runs (both earned).
Three of Houston’s last four games have been victories. The Astros are 1.5 games ahead of the Yankees in the AL East standings with a 73-41 record.
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Room for Trainers
Michael Brantley, an outfielder with the Houston Astros, underwent right shoulder surgery on Wednesday and will not return this season. After playing in a Major League Baseball game on June 26, Brantley, now 35, has been out since then. His final year of a two-year, $32 million contract saw him hit.288 with five home runs and 26 RBI in 64 games.
Tuck, King
Tucker received a standing ovation and chants of “Tucker! Tucker! Tucker!” when he returned to right field in the top of the sixth inning following his grand slam. He bowed and pumped his glove briefly for the spectators. The following drive by Tucker to deep centre was snagged in front of the 409-foot marker.
When asked about his shot, Tucker stated, “I hit it well, but it’s quite deep out there in the centre.” No ball has been hit out to the centre that I’m aware of. Don’t ask me, I need to become in shape more. Every time I try to do that, I end myself talking to Yordan about how he consistently hits batters in the eye with his pitches. On the other hand, we did laugh about it. I need to work on my physical fitness.
What is This, Garcia’s Balk?
The baulk call continued to bother Baker and Garcia long after the game was over. It’s no secret that Garcia has a distinctive windup that resembles a rock-a-bye-baby. As Baker put it, the call “could have been a significant turning point,” and Garcia indicated he has to get some answers before his next start.
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They told me I can’t do more than two steps, which is awful news because I’ve taken three with a man on third and it was fine, as Garcia put it. To conclude, I disagree with them. Even if they’re wrong, they must have something to say to me.
The Next Step
Sports fans, on Saturday, Zach Logue (3-5, 4.79) will take the mound. On July 9, he pitched five innings, allowing two runs on three hits, and Houston ended up winning, 3-2.
After missing the first four months of the 2022 season due to a forearm strain, Lance McCullers Jr. will make his debut with the Astros.dailyrealtime.com.
