HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- Trevor Bauer held the Astros to one run over eight innings as the Cleveland Indians opened a four-game weekend series at Minute Maid Park with a 2-1 win Thursday night.
Bauer allowed four hits, but walked six as he earned his third win of the season. Despite the traffic on the bases, the Astros had just one at bat with a man in scoring position. They hit into two doubleplays and saw a pair of runners get thrown out at second base by Indians catcher Roberto Perez.
The only blemish on Bauer's night was came when George Springer hammered a 2-2 slider over the train tracks for his eighth home run of the season. That answered Leonys Martin's solo shot in the top of the inning, but Cleveland regained the lead in the fifth when Jake Bauers dropped a 1-0 curveball into the front row of the Crawford Boxes for his third homer.
Brad Hand worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his seventh save.
In seven innings, Bauer's UCLA teammate, Gerrit Cole held the Indians to those two solo homers. He surrendered just one other hit and struck out 10, but falls to 1-4 on the season. Will Harris pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Astros, while Roberto Osuna did the same in the ninth.
In his first game against his old team, Michael Brantley was the only player for either team to finish with two hits.
Collin McHugh will look to get the Astros level in the series Friday night when he starts opposite Corey Kluber.
