Christian Walker’s two-run double highlighted a three-run third inning and Colton Gordon allowed one run over five innings for his first major league win in the Houston Astros’ 4-2 road victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night.
Jeremy Pena extended his hitting streak to 12 games with his second three-hit contest and Brendan Rodgers clubbed his first home of 2025 for the Astros, who have won nine of 12.
In his fifth career start, Gordon (1-1) overcame seven hits allowed to yield just a fifth-inning run and struck out five without a walk in the opener of a three-game set.
David Fry clubbed his first homer of the season for one of his two hits and Jose Ramirez extended his on-base streak to 32 games for the Guardians, who have dropped seven of 11.
Logan Allen (3-4) threw four scoreless innings before he yielded all of Houston’s runs in his final two frames, plus seven hits and two walks.
In the first, Cleveland’s Angel Martinez and Ramirez each were thrown out by Houston left fielder Mauricio Dubon trying to stretch a single into a double, which was a harbinger of the night for the Guardians.
In the fifth, with two outs and two on, Houston’s Jose Altuve grounded to deep third, where Ramirez made an off-the-mark throw to first that allowed a streaking Pena to score from second. Then Walker sent a flare into right field that Cleveland’s Nolan Jones couldn’t reach and dropped for a double that scored two to make it 3-0.
The Guardians got on the board in the bottom of the fifth via three singles from Daniel Schneemann, Nolan Jones and Will Wilson – the latter of the RBI variety. However, Cleveland stranded a pair thanks to right fielder Jacob Melton’s diving catch down the line to end the frame.
Houston got the run back when Rodgers cleared the right-center field wall for his first hit since May 11. The Guardians again made it a two-run contest when Fry went deep to right field in his fifth game of the season after returning from elbow surgery.
Houston’s Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save.
–Field Level Media
