Astros Fight Back to Take the Royals 6-5 in Extras

Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker are back.

It looks like the Astros are too.

Bregman, Tucker, and surprising rookie Jake Meyers came through in the 10th inning to pull out a needed win against the tough KC Royals, ending the homestand on a winning note, and taking the series against the Royals.

The game started out as a home run contest. Martin Maldonado put the Astros on the board first with a solo homer to the Crawford Boxes in the third inning.

His opponent behind the dish, Salvador Perez, answered in the fourth with a solo shot of his own.

Which was followed in the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer by Yordan Alvarez to the Crawford Boxes, his 26th.

Alex Bregman gave the Astros a 3-1 lead in the sixth with an RBI double scoring Yuli Gurriel.

Meanwhile, Astros starter Lance McCullers was dealing after six, allowing only one run, four hits, and two walks. However, in the seventh, after two outs, McCullers allowed a single and two walks, at which point manager Dusty Baker brought in relief pitcher Cristian Javier.

On the first pitch, Javier surrendered a grand slam homer to Whit Merrifield, putting the Royals up 5 - 3.

McCullers was charged with three of these runs, leaving his final line at 6.2 innings pitched, four runs, five hits, four walks, and seven strikeouts.

But the Astros did not quit. In the seventh inning Aledmys Diaz, playing left field upon the return of Bregman to third, singled home Jake Meyers, who had singled earlier in the inning.

And in the eighth inning, Michael Brantley tied the score for the Stros with a pinch-hit single, scoring Carlos Correa, who scored from second after getting a walk and a Kyle Tucker single.

Neither team scored in the ninth, sending the game into extra innings. Kendall Graveman held the Royals, the key to the inning his throw-out of Hanser Alberto trying to advance to third.

This set up the Astros’ walk-off in the bottom of the tenth. It started with a Kyle Tucker single, advancing unearned runner Alex Bregman to third.

This brought rookie Jake Meyers into the game-winning situation. On a 2 -1 count Meyers hit a 97 MPH rocket off the leg of pitcher Joel Payamps that scored Alex Bregman, giving the Astros the 6-5 win.

For Bregman and Tucker, this was their first game back from IL or health protocols. (Tucker was a defensive replacement yesterday) Both had two hits.

And of course, Meyers played his first MLB game on August 1st. Since then he is slashing .316/.344/.526 with three homers and 12 RBI, none bigger than his walk-off RBI today.

The Astros end the series five games ahead of the Oakland A’s.

They have the day off tomorrow before heading on the road to Arlington to take on the mall cops.

Box Score and Videos HERE