HOUSTON — Alex Bregman hit a two-run double early and the Houston Astros held on for a 2-1 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday night.
Thursday’s game completes a stretch for the Astros of nine straight games against New York teams. Houston went 3-2 against the major league-leading Yankees and swept four games with the Mets, who had baseball’s second-best record before being overtaken by the Astros.
The Yankees were in town for just one game to make up part of a series that was scrapped because of the lockout. They’ll complete the series with a doubleheader here July 21.
Houston starter Luis Garcia (6-5) allowed three hits and one run with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings for his third straight win. Ryan Pressly struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his 17th save.
Jake Meyers doubled with no outs in the third before Aledmys Diaz walked with two outs. Kyle Tucker walked to load the bases before Bregman’s double to put Houston up 2-0.
The Astros had a chance to pad the lead, but the inning ended on an odd play after a malfunction of New York starter Luis Severino’s PitchCom device.
With Yuli Gurriel at-bat, a frustrated Severino took off his cap and held the PitchCom speaker to his ear, apparently unable to hear instructions from catcher Jose Trevino.
Tucker saw Severino was distracted from third base and tried to sneak home. Severino had the PitchCom earpiece in his right hand and had to quickly maneuver to get the baseball back in his throwing hand. He threw home while still holding his cap, and his throw narrowly beat Tucker and ended the inning.
The PitchCom digital pitch-calling devices, which transmit signals from the catcher to the pitcher, were introduced to the majors this season. The system was designed to halt sign stealing in the wake of the Astros’ 2017 scandal.
Anthony Rizzo hit a solo homer for the Yankees in the sixth inning, but they had trouble generating much else on offense as they had a four-game winning streak snapped.
GUARDIANS 5, TWINS 3: Andres Gimenez hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning and Cleveland beat visiting Minnesota for its second straight walk-off win.
Gimenez went deep to center on a 3-2 pitch from Tyler Thornburg (0-2) as Minnesota’s bullpen imploded again.
Jose Ramirez drew a leadoff walk, the 10th allowed by Minnesota. Josh Naylor’s groundout moved Ramirez to second and Owen Miller flied out.
Gimenez followed with his game-winner, sending Cleveland’s players pouring out of the dugout in celebration for the second consecutive day. The Guardians lead the majors with 17 last at-bats wins, including six against the rival Twins.
The Twins failed to hold a 6-3 lead in the 10th inning on Wednesday night, when the Guardians scored four times and won the game on Naylor’s two-run homer.
Emilio Pagan and Jharel Cotton couldn’t hold the lead, and Minnesota’s bullpen problems returned less than 24 hours later.
The Twins outhomered the Guardians 10-2 in the series.
Cleveland won 3 of 5 in the series and trails Minnesota by a game in the AL Central. The teams don’t meet again until September.
The Twins took a 3-1 lead into the eighth and four Minnesota pitchers were working on a one-hitter. Thornburg retired the first batter but hit Gimenez with a pitch and walked Franmil Reyes and Sandy Leon to load the bases.
Shortstop Carlos Correa made a diving stop of Myles Straw’s sharply hit grounder. Gimenez scored and Reyes came home when Correa threw wildly to third to tie the game.
Pinch-runner Ernie Clement was tagged out trying to score on Steven Kwan’s ground ball and Amed Rosario fouled out to end the inning.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
PHILLIES 14, BRAVES 4: Kyle Schwarber finished off the month with another June homer, Darick Hall went deep twice and host Philadelphia avoided a three-game sweep.
Rhys Hoskins and Nick Castellanos also homered for the Phillies, who reached a season high in runs without star Bryce Harper in the lineup for the fourth straight game. The 2021 NL MVP is out indefinitely after having successful surgery on his broken left thumb on Wednesday.
Adam Duvall and Michael Harris II went deep for the Braves, who ended June with a 21-6 mark to equal the most victories in a calendar month since the club moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966.
Schwarber connected on a three-run shot in the third for his 12th homer in June and 23rd of the season. The line drive to deep right also was Schwarber’s 47th in 458 career June at-bats. His average of one homer every 9.74 at-bats in June is tops among all players in MLB history with at least 400 career at-bats, ahead of Babe Ruth’s mark of a homer every 10.63 June at-bats.
NOTES
RAYS: The Tampa Bay Rays put left-hander Brooks Raley and right-hander Ryan Thompson on the restricted list before opening a five-game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays.
Tampa Bay added righties Javy Guerra and Phoenix Sanders from Triple-A Durham.
In addition, left-hander Jeffrey Springs was put on the family medical emergency list and lefty Ryan Yarbrough was recalled from Triple-A. Righties Dusten Knight and David McKay were added to the taxi squad for the trip to Toronto.
To enter the country, the Canadian government requires a person to have received a second COVID-19 vaccine dose – or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine – at least 14 days before entry.
Unvaccinated players go on the restricted list because they are not paid and do not accrue major league service time, according to a March agreement between Major League Baseball and the players’ association.
Springs had been set to start against Toronto on Thursday. Instead, right-hander Matt Wisler will open, with Yarbrough expected to follow him.
ALL-STAR GAME: Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. were elected to start in the July 20 All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.
The pair were chosen under new rules that give starting spots to the top vote-getter in each league in the first phase of online voting, which began June 8 and ended Thursday. Others advanced to the second phase, which runs from noon Tuesday and ends at 2 p.m. on July 8. Votes from the first phase do not carry over.
Starters will be announced July 8, and pitchers and reserves on July 10.
BRAVES: The former agent of Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman says the Braves are presenting a “false narrative” about the first baseman’s parting with Atlanta in March.
“I will not stand by as the circumstances surrounding Freddie Freeman’s departure from Atlanta are mischaracterized,” agent Casey Close of Excel Sports Management said in a statement.
Freeman was in tears and at times could barely speak when talking to reporters in Atlanta last week, his first trip back to the city where he had played his entire career before leaving for the West Coast. He was warmly welcomed by Braves fans. He helped the team win the World Series last season and was presented his ring by Braves Manager Brian Snitker.
Freeman’s return came at the same time that he apparently fired Excel as his management team. Asked about that, he described the relationship as “fluid.”
The Braves and Freeman had been negotiating a new contract after the 2021 season ended. They didn’t reach an agreement, and Freeman filed for free agency but didn’t sign before baseball entered a labor lockout Dec. 1 that prompted a roster freeze.
In mid-March, the Braves acquired All-Star first baseman Matt Olson in a trade with Oakland. Three days later, Freeman signed a $162 million, six-year deal with the Dodgers.
Close said the Braves have been perpetuating a story about the contract negotiations that is false.
“Part of that false narrative is the suggestion that I did not communicate a contract offer to the Freemans,” Close said in the statement. “To be clear, we communicated every offer that was made, as well as every communication Excel had with the Braves organization throughout the entire process.”
Freeman expressed no regrets last week about signing with the Dodgers, although his outpouring of emotions caught the attention of his new teammates.
“That’s something that Freddie’s got to deal with, but certainly there’s more talk of it in our clubhouse,” Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said.
Freeman declined Wednesday to comment on radio host Doug Gottlieb’s tweet reporting Freeman fired Close because he didn’t tell him about the Braves’ final contract offer in March.
“Doug Gottlieb tweeted a wholly inaccurate characterization of our negotiations with the Atlanta Braves on behalf of Freddie Freeman. We are immediately evaluating all legal options to address the reckless publication of inaccurate information,” Close said in a statement.
Close noted that his 30-year career in baseball and his reputation for integrity and honesty.
“I have always operated with the utmost character,” he said. “We always put the player’s goals and best interests first and will always continue to do so.”
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