Houston Astros Drop Consecutive Contests Against Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles aren't the same club in recent years. The Houston Astros' weekend foe might sit fourth in its division, but it has kept up with the big dogs of the American League, vying for a Wild Card spot.
The Orioles continued their quest Friday, shutting out the Astros for a consecutive night. The young lineup posted six runs on the AL West champs, crossing home five times in a big seventh inning.
Before running away with the contest, the Orioles scored just one run off José Urquidy through 5.1 innings pitched. The right-hander yielded three hits and one walk to his six strikeouts with his lone run coming on Adley Rutschman's 12th home run of his rookie year.
Baltimore found its success against the best bullpen in baseball by terms of ERA. Plating five runs, four of those crossed via singles, some off soft contact against Héctor Neris. Rutschman was the outlier, doubling home Cedric Mullins amidst the parade of singles.
Houston Astros Second Baseman José Altuve
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
José Altuve made his return to the lineup Friday after taking a scheduled rest day following a departure the night prior with left elbow discomfort. Taking a pitch in against the Rays, Altuve later received an x-ray that came back negative.
The second baseman went 2-for-4 with a double, accounting for half of Houston's hits in another dominant outing from Dean Kremer.
The Astros look to plot a course for a series split starting at 6:05 p.m. Saturday with Framber Valdez on the mound. The Orioles are expected to send righty Mike Baumann to the mound. The pursuit to 100 wins continues as the magic number for the No. 1 seed remains at five.
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