The Houston Astros fell to the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Monday night inside the Rogers Centre. The loss is in the first game of a seven-game road trip this week.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Blue Jays (39-39) went with Dylan Cease on the mound. Cease struggled to start, giving up a few hits and an RBI single from Isaac Paredes early. That gave Houston a 1-0 lead. A double play ball allowed Cease to avoid further damage.
The Astros (37-43) countered with ace Hunter Brown, pitching in just his second start since returning from the injured list. Brown allowed a couple of two-out singles in the first but got out of the inning with the 1-0 lead in tact.
Kazuma Okamoto would tie the game with a solo home run to open the second inning. That made it 1-1, and Brown’s pitch count started to elevate. He did not allow any more runs, but was taxed in the second and third innings. After 85 pitches and the one run allowed, the Astros went to AJ Blubaugh to begin the fourth.
In that fourth, Toronto grabbed their first lead. Vladimir Guerrero Jr collected a sacrifice fly for an RBI after a Houston error. That made it 2-1 in favor of the Blue Jays.
The Astros would tie the game in the sixth on an RBI single from Jose Altuve. That was the end for Cease, who went 5 2/3, allowing the two runs with four walks and eight strikeouts.
Former Astro Myles Straw would break the tie for Toronto in the bottom of the seventh. He delivered a sac fly for an RBI to make it 3-2 Blue Jays.
An Alejandro Kirk sac fly would extend the lead to 4-2 in the eighth, and that was all Louis Varland needed. The Blue Jays’ closer shut the door on a Toronto victory.
BIG NUMBER: 9
Hunter Brown only got nine outs in this game. It taxed the Astros’ bullpen, and was concerning in just his second outing off the injured list.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Kazuma Okamoto
Okamoto went 2-3 with his homer and a double. He was the driving force for the Blue Jays offense, reaching base three times.
UP NEXT: The Astros and Blue Jays meet again tomorrow, June 23rd at 3:07 PM. You can listen to the action on Newstalk 98.5 FM.
