Houston 6, Arizona 2
When: 8:10 PM ET, Saturday, October 3, 2015
Where: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
Temperature:
88°
Umpires:
Home -
Jeff Nelson, 1B -
Cory Blaser, 2B -
Chris Guccione, 3B -
Lazaro Diaz
Attendance:
37687
By The Sports Xchange
PHOENIX - Collin McHugh and the Houston Astros are entering the regular season's final day with a chance to win a division title.
"It's a one-game series tomorrow," said McHugh, who threw seven strong innings in the Astros' 6-2 win Saturday night over the Arizona Diamondbacks. "That's how we've been looking at it and it's no different tomorrow."
With their sixth win in seven games, the Astros remain one game behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West with only Sunday's games remaining. Houston also stayed a game ahead of the Los Angeles Angels for the AL's second wild-card spot.
"We showed up and took care of our business which is all you can ask for in game 161," said Astros manager A.J. Hinch. "We needed the win and we put a lot of pressure on the teams around us. We've won a lot of games and game 162's going to settle a lot."
McHugh (19-7) was dominant, holding the Diamondbacks to one run on six hits over seven innings. McHugh struck out five and issued one intentional walk en route to his sixth win in his past seven starts.
McHugh moved into second place in the AL for wins behind teammate and 20-game winner Dallas Keuchel.
"I didn't have my great stuff tonight, I didn't have great command but (catcher) Jason (Castro) did a good job of guiding me through some spots," McHugh said. "I'm a big, slow curveball guy but with the thin air and no humidity the ball doesn't always spin like you want."
Colby Rasmus homered twice and Jose Altuve homered, doubled and scored twice for the Astros.
"This is a great place to hit," Rasmus said. "I was excited to come here. It's always been a fun place to hit and we're taking advantage of it."
Paul Goldschmidt homered and Jeremy Hellickson (9-12) suffered his fourth straight loss for the Diamondbacks.
"We had a few chances but it seemed every time we started something they had a big inning and kept us out there on defense," said Arizona manager Chip Hale. "(McHugh) kept us off balance."
The Astros wasted no time against Hellickson. Altuve doubled to left to lead off the game, went to third on a single by George Springer and came home on Carlos Correa's sacrifice fly for a 1-0 Houston lead.
The Diamondbacks pulled within 3-1 in the sixth on an RBI single by Welington Castillo but the Astros added a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth, including Rasmus' second home run of the game, a solo shot to start the inning.
Goldschmidt hit his 32nd home run with two outs in the eighth off right-hander Will Harris.
Hellickson went five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits over five innings. Hellickson, who lasted fewer than six innings for the third time in four starts, struck out three.
"He threw the ball really good," said Castillo of Hellickson, who had left the clubhouse before reporters arrived. "That is a really hot offense right now. They have really good hitters. He had a couple of mistakes and didn't make a pitch and those good hitters got him."
NOTES: Astros right-hander Collin McHugh is 26-7 in his past 42 starts. ... The Astros matched the major-league record with their 16th interleague victory, a feat accomplished most recently by Boston and Minnesota in 2006. ... Diamondbacks INF Phil Gosselin celebrated his 27th birthday on Saturday with a pinch-hit groundout. ... Houston DH Evan Gattis was on the bench to start the second straight game in a National League park, though he was hit by a pitch as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. The one-time catcher/outfielder for Atlanta leads the Astros with 27 homers and 87 RBIs, but has started only 11 games in the field this season. ... Arizona RHP Jeremy Hellickson fell to 1-9 career record in 14 interleague starts. Hellickson's lone win came July 3, 2011 against St. Louis. ... With his double and homer, Astros 2B Jose Altuve has 22 extra-base hit in his past 25 games. ... Diamondbacks RF Socrates Brito doubled leading off the first, giving him 10 extra-base hits - five doubles, three triples and two homers - in his past 17 games.
Top Game Performances
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
| Houston
|
11 |
3 |
24 |
.306 |
20 |
9 |
6 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
| Arizona
|
7 |
1 |
12 |
.206 |
13 |
7 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
For more information, contact us