Santiago Espinal homered for the second time in as many games and the Toronto Blue Jays secured a series win over the host Houston Astros with a 3-2 comeback victory on Saturday.
Espinal snapped a 2-2 tie with his one-out shot to left field off Astros reliever Blake Taylor (0-1) in the seventh inning. Toronto trailed 2-1 after the first but rallied to remain unbeaten over the last 11 starts from right-hander Alek Manoah (3-0).
Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer, a three-time All-Star and 2017 World Series Most Valuable Player over seven years with the Astros, missed the series opener after being hit by a pitch on the wrist Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox. Springer made an immediate impact against his former team with his return to the lineup, slugging his 45th career leadoff home run.
Springer ranks first among active players in leadoff homers and snapped a tie with Brady Anderson for seventh on the all-time list with his opposite-field blast off Astros right-hander Jose Urquidy, a 382-foot shot into the seats behind the home bullpen in right-center. It was his first home run against his former club, his third homer this season and the 199th of his career.
Urquidy limited the damage to one run despite loading the bases in the first inning and kept Toronto in check until his final inning of work when Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stroked consecutive singles to open the sixth. Bichette advanced to third on the Guerrero hit and scored the game-tying run when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. lofted a fly ball into shallow left that Astros second baseman Niko Goodrum snared while colliding with shortstop Jeremy Pena.
The Astros claimed a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first when Alex Bregman followed a one-out single from Michael Brantley with his third home run, a line drive into the Crawford Boxes in left field. Manoah surrendered one additional hit in the first, a two-out single to Yuli Gurriel, but steadied himself to extend his streak of consecutive starts allowing two or fewer runs to seven.
Houston scratched out one-out singles against Manoah in the third and fourth innings and two-out singles in the fifth and sixth. But Manoah did not allow another runner into scoring position and capped his outing allowing two runs on seven hits with five strikeouts in six innings.
The four-man bullpen of David Phelps, Ryan Borucki, Yimi Garcia and Adam Cimber stifled Houston, with Cimber notching his first save.
Urquidy gave up two runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
