Christian Walker recorded three hits and a pair of RBIs and the Houston Astros parlayed a six-run third inning into a 7-6 victory over the visiting Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
The Astros snapped an eight-game skid, their longest since 2013. The Rockies, who swept a three-game set from Houston last week, suffered their fifth straight loss.
Houston took advantage of two fielding errors by Rockies second baseman Willi Castro to chase right-hander Michael Lorenzen (1-2) in the bottom of the third.
Castro dropped an infield popup by Jose Altuve after Christian Vazquez opened the third with a double. Lorenzen balked both runners into scoring position and Yordan Alvarez followed with a game-tying two-run double down the right field line.
Walker, whose solo homer in the second shaved the deficit to 3-1, added a fielder’s choice grounder that plated Alvarez.
Cam Smith and Vazquez added RBI singles that pushed the Astros to a 7-3 lead after Carlos Correa scored when Castro failed to field a sharp grounder from Joey Loperfido.
Lorenzen allowed seven runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk with three strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings.
Hunter Goodman recorded his sixth career multi-homer game, with his second blast leading off the fifth and drawing the Rockies to within 7-5.
Troy Johnston delivered a pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth, but Astros reliever Enyel De Los Santos faced one batter and stranded runners on the corners to close the ninth for his first save this season.
The Rockies pounced on Astros left-hander Colton Gordon, who made his season debut for injury-ravaged Houston. Colorado rallied with the bases loaded and two outs in both the first and second innings, with Goodman smacking his third homer of the season for a 1-0 lead in the first.
An inning later, after Gordon retired TJ Rumfield and Ezequiel Tovar to open the second, Jordan Beck and Kyle Karros laced consecutive two-out singles before Jake McCarthy delivered a two-run triple to straightaway center, extending Colorado’s lead to 3-0.
Gordon did not survive the fourth. He surrendered a two-out solo homer to Beck before loading the bases and ceding the mound to reliever AJ Blubaugh, who induced pinch hitter Mickey Moniak to hit an inning-ending infield popup.
–Field Level Media
