Trevor Rogers pitched seven splendid innings and Gunnar Henderson and Luis Vazquez homered as the Baltimore Orioles avoided a series sweep, defeating the visiting Houston Astros 3-2 on Sunday afternoon.
Henderson and Ryan Mountcastle each had two hits for the Orioles. Vazquez’s long ball marked the first home run of his career.
After the Astros struck for a total of 26 runs in the first three games combined, the resurgent southpaw’s work on the mound proved critical.
Rogers (7-2) limited the Astros to one run on five hits with three walks and nine strikeouts. It marked his fifth consecutive start when he surrendered one run.
Rico Garcia entered in the eighth and allowed three singles as Houston loaded the bases with one out. Keegan Akin was summoned from the bullpen and limited the damage to Victor Caratini’s sacrifice fly. Mauricio Dubon lined out to squash the threat.
Akin also pitched the ninth, picking up his third save. He struck out three.
Jeremy Pena, Carlos Correa and Yainer Diaz all posted two hits for Houston, which had eight singles and no extra-base hits.
Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti (1-5) went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out two without a walk, but he dropped to 0-4 since rejoining the big-league team.
Former All-Star reliever Craig Kimbrel made his Astros debut in the eighth. He gave up a lead-off single to Jeremiah Jackson, but pinch runner Daniel Johnson was caught stealing. Kimbrel, who was released last September by the Orioles, struck out Henderson and Mountcastle.
All of Baltimore’s runs came with two outs.
Henderson hit his 16th home run of the season in the first inning. Mountcastle’s sixth-inning single gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead.
Vazquez, playing in his 42nd big-league game, smacked his first career home run in the seventh inning off John Rooney.
The Orioles stranded only four runners on base, but Houston left eight runners on.
–Field Level Media
