[August 02, 2014]HOUSTON -- With the roster ravaged
by injuries, the Houston Astros must continue to hope for nights like
Friday when an unlikely contributor steps in and fills a void with an
unexpected jolt of productivity.
Houston journeyman shortstop Gregorio Petit hit his first career
homer as the Astros rallied for two eighth-inning runs against the
Toronto bullpen in a 3-1 victory at Minute Maid Park.
Petit crushed the first pitch in the eighth inning into the seats in
left field, turning on a fastball by Aaron Loup (3-3) to provide the
Astros (45-65) their first lead of the game. Houston second baseman
Jose Altuve followed with a double into the left-center field gap
and then stole third before scoring on sacrifice fly from right
fielder Robbie Grossman.
"I threw two pitches and the next thing you know I give up a home
run and a double," Loup said. "I guess it just wasn't my day today."
Altuve delivering the insurance run with an extra-base hit and his
43rd stolen base wasn't aberrant. Petit smashing a home run after
384 plate appearances wasn't routine.
"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," Petit said.
"I've been battling a lot. I've been showing my game a lot. I've
just been waiting for my opportunity.
"I'm going to keep enjoying this. I'm going to keep living this
dream. I'm not going to wake up and I won't."
The Astros' rally offered a stark contrast to their effort against
Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ, who pitched brilliantly in allowing one
run, three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. He ran his pitch
count to 105, well below his season-high of 124 against the Chicago
White Sox on June 26, when left fielder L.J. Hoes was retired on a
flyout to end the seventh.
Right-hander Jose Veras (1-0) picked up his first win with the
Astros by retiring the final two batters in the eighth. Closer Chad
Qualls notched his 12th save by striking out center fielder Colby
Rasmus and first baseman Danny Valencia after designated hitter
Nolan Reimold reached on an infield single with one out in the ninth
inning.
Qualls had suffered two losses during the 10-game homestand.
Toronto (60-51) had its six-game winning streak snapped.
"I thought Happ was great, but the big turning point in the game was
in the second inning with second and third and no outs and we
couldn't get anything across," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said.
"That's something we've been doing lately."
Seeking to snap his six-game skid, Astros right-hander Collin McHugh
found himself in a 1-0 hole four batters into his start.
After corner outfielders Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista singled and
doubled in succession, Blue Jays catcher Dioner Navarro followed
with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Cabrera to give Toronto
to a 1-0 lead.
McHugh found more trouble in the second, but after Rasmus singled
and Valencia doubled, McHugh did not surrender another hit until
Navarro singled with one out in the sixth inning. He stranded three
baserunners during that stretch and worked around a Petit error that
enabled Blue Jays second baseman Ryan Goins to reach leading off the
fifth.
"It's huge," McHugh said of escaping the second inning. "The last
couple of outings, the first couple of innings really kind of did me
in. So to be able to come back and make a couple of big pitches when
you need to is huge. I think it's big for the team to know that it's
just a one-run game and you're right in it."
When Happ retired the first 11 batters he faced, his 1-0 lead
appeared sufficient. But Astros designated hitter Chris Carter had
the first hit off Happ with an infield single in the fourth inning,
the first of three consecutive batters to reach base as the Astros
rallied to even the score.
First baseman Jesus Guzman was the most critical of that threesome,
driving home Carter with a flare single to center that tied the
score at 1.
NOTES: The Astros selected the contract of RHP Mike Foltynewicz from
Triple-A Oklahoma, where he went 7-7 with a 5.08 ERA in 21
appearances (18 starts). Foltynewicz is listed by MLB.com as the
Astros' fourth-best prospect and features a fastball with a velocity
that reaches triple digits. He will work primarily in middle relief.
... Blue Jays INF Brett Lawrie is scheduled to begin a rehab
assignment at high-Class A Dunedin. Lawrie, batting .244/.299/.419
with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs, was placed on the 15-day disabled
list on June 23 with a fractured right index finger. ... Acquired
Thursday in a six-player trade with the Miami Marlins, CF Jake
Marisnick made his debut with the Astros and batted seventh.
Marisnick played 54 games in two seasons (2013-14) with the Marlins.
He was with Triple-A New Orleans at the time of the trade.
Houston journeyman shortstop Gregorio Petit hit his first career
homer as the Astros rallied for two eighth-inning runs against the
Toronto bullpen in a 3-1 victory at Minute Maid Park.
