HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- Gerrit Cole recovered from a six run, five inning outing in his last start to hold the Chicago Cubs to two runs over six innings in the Astros 6-5 win Monday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.
Cole matched a season-high with 12 strikeouts as he earned his fifth win of the season. The only blemish on his day was Anthony Rizzo's first inning 2-run homer, but Cole recovered and retired 17 of the last 19 men he faced.
Houston didn't score in the first inning against Cole Hamels, but got to him in the second. After Robinson Chirinos walked to start the inning, Jack Mayfield doubled off the leftfield wall in the first at bat of his Major League career. Tyler White's sacrifice fly cut the Cubs lead in half. Cole stuck out the side in the Cubs half of the third, and in the bottom of the inning, the Astros grabbed the lead.
The Astros batted around in the frame, as the first four men reached base. Alex Bregman singled and Michael Brantley walked. Yuli Gurriel singled home Bregman to tie the game, and Chirinos followed with an RBI double to put the Astros on top, advancing Gurriel to third. He came home on Mayfield's RBI ground out, and after Tyler White walked, Chrinos scored on a Derek Fisher RBI single. Jake Marisnick's RBI ground out, plated the Astros fifth run of the inning, making it a 6-2 game.
With Cole out of the game, the Cubs threatened in the seventh, scoring an unearned run off Hector Rondon, but with two on and Will Harris on the mound, Kyle Schwarber was robbed of extra bases on a liner down the first baseline by White, leaving Javy Baez in the on deck circle. Ryan Pressly worked around a one-out walk in the eighth. Roberto Osuna allowed solo home runs to Albert Almora and Addison Russell in the ninth, but struck out Javy Baez with the tying run at first for his 14th save as the Astros improve to 36-19 on the season.
Gurriel finished with three hits, while Fisher and Bregman added a pair.
Mayfield went 1-for-4 with an RBI in his debut.
Russell had three hits for Chicago, while Rizzo had two, but Baez finished 0-for-5 with five strikeouts as the Cubs fall to 30-22.
Corbin Martin will get the ball for the Astros in game two of their three game series against the Cubs Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park. He'll be opposed by Jon Lester.