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 Murphy's two-run double off left-hander Joe Thatcher broke at 2-2
tie and lifted the Cleveland Indians to a 4-2 victory over the
Houston Astros at Progressive Field.
With one out in the bottom of the eighth, shortstop Francisco Lindor
doubled off Thatcher (1-3). Left fielder Michael Brantley drew a
walk, bringing up designated hitter Murphy, who is normally a
platoon partner with right-handed hitter Ryan Raburn.
"Sometimes you've got to stay out of the way and let your guys
play," said Francona.
Murphy then rewarded his manager for that vote of confidence by
ripping a line drive over the head of right fielder Preston Tucker.
The ball bounced off the wall for a double, driving in both runners
and giving Cleveland a 4-2 lead.
"Tito went with his gut there," said Murphy. "You get up there, your
blood is pumping, you have a chance to do something big in the game.
At the end of the day you have to be a baseball player, left or
right, it doesn't matter."
Right-hander Trevor Bauer (8-5) gave up two runs on six hits, with
nine strikeouts and no walks to get the win. Right-hander Cody Allen
pitched the ninth inning to pick up his 17th save.
Bauer gave up two runs in the first inning, but then held Houston
scoreless on four hits over the next seven innings. The closest
Houston came to scoring in that stretch was the third inning. Center
fielder Jake Marisnick singled and went to third on a one-out single
by Tucker.
With runners at first and third with one out, Bauer struck out the
Astros Nos. 3 and 4 hitters, shortstop Carlos Correa and designated
hitter Evan Gattis, to end the inning.
Houston took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Bauer struck out
the side but also gave up a two-run homer.
Second baseman Jose Altuve led off the game with a single to left
field and went to second on a wild pitch. Bauer struck out the next
two batters -- Tucker and shortstop Carlos Correa.
Gattis then pounded a shoulder-high pitch over the left field wall
for his 15th home run of the season that gave the Astros a 2-0 lead.
"The guy hits a ball over his head for a home run and I didn't walk
anybody. It was like the Twilight Zone out there," said Bauer, whose
nine strikeouts gives him 102 for the season.
Right-handers Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco are
the other three 100-strikeouts Cleveland starters, an impressive
feat for the Indians.
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"I'm bringing up the rear on that one," said Bauer. "The stuff we
roll out there every day is ridiculous. It's tough to hit anyone in
our rotation."
Houston manager A.J. Hinch agrees.
"We're facing some good pitching in this series," Hinch said. "I
felt we had Bauer on the ropes early but we couldn't chase him."
The Indians countered with a run in the bottom of the first. Second
baseman Jason Kipnis led off with a triple to left field off
right-hander Dan Straily. Kipnis scored on a groundout by Lindor to
cut the Houston lead to 2-1.
Cleveland tied it with a run in the fourth. Brantley led off with a
single and went to third on a double by Murphy. Brantley scored the
tying run on a groundout by first baseman Carlos Santana.
It stayed tied until Murphy's big hit in the eighth.
"In games like this it usually comes down to one big hit, and they
got it when they needed it the most," said Hinch.
NOTES: Astros RHP Vince Velasquez, optioned to Double-A Corpus
Christi after his start Tuesday in Cleveland, is expected to be
recalled to rejoin the major league rotation after the All-Star
break. ... Houston LHP Brett Oberholtzer will be recalled from
Triple-A Fresno to start Thursday's game in Cleveland. RHP Collin
McHugh, who was the scheduled starter for Thursday, will start
Friday at Tampa Bay instead. ... Indians LHP Nick Hagadone was
placed on the disabled list with a strained lower back. LHP Kyle
Crockett was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to replace Hagadone on
the roster.
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