HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- Yuli Gurriel tied a franchise record by driving home eight runs as the Astros won their sixth straight game, beating the Colorado Rockies 11-2 Wednesday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.
Gurriel smacked a three-run homer in the first inning, sacrifice fly in third, bases clearing double in the fourth, giving him seven RBI, matching a career-high, and in the eighth, he capped his monster afternoon by grounding into a fielder's choice with the bases loaded. J.R. Towles drove in eight runs for the Astros on September 20, 2007 in St. Louis.
The Astros trailed in the game when Trevor Story sent 1-2 slider from Gerrit Cole over the wall in left-centerfield, but the Astros got that run back on the first pitch of the day from Peter Lambert when Jose Altuve launched a fastball over the Crawford boxes. Michael Brantley and Yordan Alvarez singled after that, and Gurriel's big day started when he sent a 3-2 changeup from the Rockies pitcher into the Crawford Boxes. Gurriel's sacrifice fly in the third made it a 5-1 game.
Cole retired 10 in a row after Story's home run, but that streak ended when Nolan Arenado dumped an 0-2 fastball into the Crawford Boxes for his 25th home run of the season, cutting the Astros lead to three runs, but they blew the game open in the bottom of the inning.
The first three Astros reached against Lambert, ending his day, and with Jesus Tinoco on the mound, Brantley singled to make it 6-2. Alex Bregman worked a bases loaded walk to make it a five-run game, and after Alvarez and Carlos Correa struck out, Gurriel doubled home three, making it 10-2.
After Cole worked a scorless sixth, Gurriel's RBI fielder's choice made it 11-2, and the Astros furthered the damage in the seventh following a scoreless inning from Joe Biagini.
Bregman doubled home two before Correa singled home the 14th run of the day. The Rockies did score a run against Biagini in the eighth, but Collin McHugh sealed the Astros 75th win of the season by tossing a scoreless ninth.
Cole earned his 14th win of the season, allowing two runs on three hits over six innings with 10 strikeouts.
Alvarez finished with three hits, while Bregman and Brantley added a pair.
After an off day Thursday, the Astros will begin a 10-game road trip Friday, starting with the opening game of a 3-game series in Baltimore.
