CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – While fans continue to boo and call them cheaters, the Houston Astros just keep beating the Indians.
Nearly 25,000 fans came to see fireworks Saturday night at Progressive Field but had to settle for the patriotic Fourth of July weekend post game show instead.
Carlos Correa, one of the alleged participants in the cheating scandal that helped Houston win the World Series in 2017, homered, drove in a pair and reached base four times as the Astros handed the Indians a fifth straight loss, 3-2.
Cleveland, riding their longest skid of the season, has dropped eight of their last 11 and failed to gain on the White Sox, who also lost Saturday but maintain a six-game lead in the AL Central.
Indians starter Eli Morgan suffered his third loss of the season after allowing three runs on five hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts in five innings of work.
“He limited the damage early,” Indians manager Terry Francona said of Morgan’s effort. “I tell you what, the kid competes. He changes speeds and gives you what he has. That’s a pretty good team he faced.”
Serenaded by a chorus of boos and chants of “cheater, cheater,” Correa wasted no time giving the Astros the early advantage in the top of the first with a single to left center scoring Myles Straw, who hit the first pitch of the night from Morgan off the wall, for a 1-0 lead.
Correa homered to left off Morgan to lead off the third for a 2-0 Houston lead and was showered with more boos as he circled the bases for the 16th time this season. An out later Abraham Toro took Morgan to the seats in right, his third homer of the season, to make it 3-0.
“There’s a couple pitches I’d let to get back,” Morgan said. “I think all four home runs the last two starts have been off breaking pitches.”
Toro’s error in the bottom of the inning allowed Harold Ramirez to reach and Eddie Rosario, who doubled, to move to third with one out. Bradley Zimmer hit a grounder to second but hustled to beat out the double play and score Rosario. Zimmer was promptly picked off by Astros starter Jake Odorizzi to end the inning.
It was the first run, albeit unearned, surrendered by Odorizzi in 18 2/3 innings.
Blake Parker and Nick Sandlin threw scoreless frames in relief of Morgan in the sixth and seventh innings to keep Cleveland close.
Eddie Rosario and Harold Ramirez led off the bottom of the seventh with doubles to send Odorizzi, who threw a season-high 91 pitches, to the showers and pull the Indians within 3-2 of Houston. Odorizzi was charged with two runs – one of them earned – on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts in six innings to earn his third victory of the season for the visitors.
“We knew coming in, even with his limited innings, there were a lot fewer hits than innings,” Francona said of Odorizzi. “He’s a pretty good pitcher.”
Ramirez moved to third on a wild pitch from reliever Ryan Stanek with one out but Ernie Clement and Austin Hedges were unable to get him home. Clement grounded to third and Hedges struck out swinging to end the threat.
James Karinchak came on in the eighth after Yuli Gurriel singled to right and Correa walked for the second time for the Astros but was able to get out of the jam with the Indians still trailing by one. Jason Castro reached on a fielder’s choice when Correa was thrown out at second, Toro struck out before Taylor Jones was retired on a ground out to short, ending the threat.
Phil Maton relieved Karinchack, who walked a pair after striking out the first two hitters in the ninth, and got Gurriel to ground out to short.
“There’s going to be games when they give up runs, there’s going to be games when they walk people, but they take a lot of pride in being available,” Francona said of his bullpen, which has been taxed due to the volume of injuries that have hit the rotation. “We’re going through a challenging time, but when we do it together and we have guys pulling in the same direction, it sure makes it a lot better. And I mean for us, too.
"I know we’re supposed to be there for them, but they’re there for us, and that means a lot.”
Houston closer Ryan Pressley retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to secure the Astros 51st victory of the season and his 14th save.
