Yainer Diaz slugged a three-run homer, Jose Altuve added a two-run shot and the Houston Astros defeated the host Miami Marlins 7-3 on Tuesday night.
The Astros, who will look for a three-game sweep on Wednesday afternoon, also got a two-run triple from Jeremy Pena.
Houston went with a pre-planned bullpen game, with opener Steven Okert tossing 1 2/3 innings of one-run ball. Rookie reliever AJ Blubaugh (1-1) pitched five innings and was credited with his first major league win. He allowed two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out five.
Miami starter Cal Quantrill (4-9) gave up nine hits, three walks and seven runs in 4 1/3 innings. He fanned two. In his three previous starts, he had allowed just one run in 16 innings.
Jakob Marsee, Miami’s rookie center fielder, went 2-for-2 with his first major league homer and a walk. In five big-league games, Marsee is 6-for-12 with one single, three doubles, one triple, one homer and five walks.
Houston got to Quantrill in the first inning. Former Marlins outfielder Jesus Sanchez singled with one out and scored on Altuve’s 374-foot homer to left. Altuve hit a cutter that stayed up in the zone, connecting for his 19th long ball of the year.
Miami cut the deficit to 2-1 in the second. Heriberto Hernandez singled with one out, advanced on Eric Wagaman’s two-out walk and scored on Marsee’s opposite-field single to left.
Houston loaded the bases with two outs in the third, but Christian Walker popped out to end the threat.
The Astros made it 4-1 in the fourth as Pena hit his two-run triple off the wall in right-center. As with Altuve, Pena hit a high cutter.
Houston put up another crooked number in the fifth as Carlos Correa singled with one out, Walker doubled, and Diaz crushed a 405-foot homer to left. It was Diaz’s 16th homer.
Miami cut its deficit to 7-3 on solo homers by Marsee in the fifth and Wagaman, his sixth of the season, in the seventh.
Houston shut it down from there. The Astros used five total pitchers, including closer Josh Hader, who pitched a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation.
–Field Level Media
