Astros Back on Track. Take Down Dodgers 5-2

Astros pitchers found the strike zone tonight and, would you believe it, they actually held the others guys down enough to win the game.

Luis Garcia had the best game of his career against one of the best and hottest teams in baseball, going six innings, allowing only two hits and one unearned run. The real key: only one walk.

Meanwhile, a leadoff homer by Jose Altuve, a solo homer by Carlos Correa in the 7th (both against Trevor Bauer), and a two-run homer by Aledmys Diaz in the 8th accounted for four of the five Astros runs.

The Dodgers got their unearned run in the third after Garcia himself made a two-out error to allow Mookie Betts to get on base, followed by a Max Muncy RBI single.

The other Dodger run came on a Sheldon Meuse solo homer in the eighth off Ryne Stanek.

The Astros staff allowed only one walk through eight innings when manager Dusty Baker inexplicably left closer Ryan Pressly on the bench in favor of one of the wild-things, Bryan Abreu.

Abreu managed to make the ninth inning three-run lead exciting, walking two with two out and Albert Pujols at-bat as the tying run.

We’ve seen this movie before.

But Abreu got the big strikeout to win the game and end the four-game losing streak. It was Abreu’s first save, and Garcia’s six complete innings was the deepest he’d ever gone in this, his third career win.

Hope returns to Astroland

Box score and videos HERE.