Meyers, Tucker get key hits as Astros avoid sweep against Phillies

With a possibility of a series sweep hunting them, the Astros reacted when it counted. On Sunday night, they came alive to top the Phillies 4-3 to close the three-game series at Minute Maid Park. José Urquidy, Jake Meyers, and Kyle Tucker were key factors to get the W.

Pitching one day away from his 28th birthday, Urquidy was good enough to take his second win of the season and even his record to 2-2. He pitched 5 1/3 innings before suffering an injury (shoulder soreness). The Phillies couldn’t do much damage against the right-hander as he allowed three hits and two earned runs (two solo shots), with a walk and two strikeouts.

“I felt a little bit of pain in the back of my shoulder,” Urquidy said. “The last pitch, I was trying to throw a sinker there and I felt something a little bit weak in my shoulder and I decided to stop. Everything is good now, so let’s see tomorrow how I wake up.”

Offensively, the Astros didn’t take too long to put themselves en route to the victory. Struggling José Abreu brought the game’s first run by hitting for a double play in the first inning. Although the Phillies responded quickly with a solo homer by JT Realmuto, Martín Maldonado hit a go-ahead double in the second to give the Astros a 2-1 lead.

In the fourth, Meyers showed up with a clutch 407-foot home run off Bailey Falter to extend the Astros’ lead 3-1. That preceded a Kody Clemens solo shot to bring the Phillies closer 3-2.

Kyle Tucker, in the fifth, gave the Astros a two-run lead again with an RBI single that would make the difference for Houston as the Phillies tried to come back in the eighth with an unearned run.

The bullpen was great this time. On 3 2/3 innings, the Astros relievers accounted for two hits, an unearned run, two walks, and five punchouts in the hands of Hector Neris, Rafael Montero, Bryan Abreu, and closer Ryan Pressly.

On Monday, the Astros will head to Oracle Park to begin a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants to open May. Game starts at 7:10 pm CT, Ross Stripling will pitch for the Giants and Luis García is the announced starter for Houston.

VIDEOS AND BOX SCORE HERE.