Astros take Game 2 over Mariners, 7-4

Another shaky night for an Astros starter, and another Astros victory nontheless.

Thursday night Wade Miley started the game by surrendering five runs without getting an out. It seemed the Astros starter for last night’s game, Framber Valdez, was setting the Astros on a similar glide path when he walked four Mariners in the first inning. Somehow, along with two singles, Valdez managed to escape the inning giving up only two runs, thanks to leaving the bases loaded with only one out.

Not quite the most classic Framberization ever, but spotting the Mariners only two runs to start the game was a way bit better than Thursday night, and good enough to keep the Astros with striking distance without having to win with heroics.

And strike they did. Not needing to wait for the thirteenth inning to take their first lead, the Astros answered the Mariners with three runs in the first off opener Reggie McClain, mainly off of RBI doubles by Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel.

Framber Valdez managed to evade trouble in the second and third innings, but the Mariners were able to tie the game in the fourth when Time Lopes opened the inning with an infield single, got to third on an stolen base and throwing error by catcher Martin Maldonado, and then scored on a fielder’s choice. Despite the catcher’s error it was ruled an earned run.

Valdez managed to complete four innings, allowing three runs, six walks, two hits, while striking out six. In Framber style he got four ground outs and no fly outs.

The Astros re-took the lead in the fourth inning on a Josh Reddick solo homer to the upper deck in right field, his second in two games.

The Astros added a run in the fifth inning on a bizarre double steal including a steal of home, at least in the record books, by Alex Bregman. With Aledmys Diaz on first and Bregman on third, Diaz took off for second base. While Diaz was caught in a run down, Bregman sprinted home, and although the throw from the second baseman was easily in time to beat Bregman, the catcher was unable to handle the one-hopper, ala Gary Sanchez, and Bregman scored, credited with a stolen home base.

Daniel Vogelbach scored Seattle’s final run in the sixth with a solo homer off Joe Biagini, but the Astros answered with a Maldonado double followed by a Michael Brantley RBI single. Jose Altuve then scored during Alex Bregman’s at bat on a passed ball.

The Astros bullpen for the second night in a row picked up sub-standard starting pitching, allowing only one run in five innings. After Biagini gave up his no-out homer in the sixth, Joe Smith, Hector Rondon, Will Harris, and Roberto Osuna respectively combined for four scoreless innings.

Osuna got the save, his 32nd.

Yuli Gurriel injured his hamstring and is listed as day-day.

Box score and videos HERE.