Atlanta got the start they wanted in Game 5, just not the finish they were looking for. The Braves came of the gate hot but fizzled out. Houston trended in the opposite direction, they started slow but their bats got hot as the game went on.
The Braves got four of their five runs in the 1st inning. CF Adam Duvall hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 1st to put Atlanta up 4-0. Houston answered with two in the top of the 2nd. They got on the board with an Alex Bregman RBI double and later scored on a Martin Maldonado sacrifice fly, to cut the lead to 4-2. The Astros then tied it with two runs in the 3rd on an RBI double from Carlos Correa and an RBI groundout from Yuri Gurriel.
Atlanta would re-take the lead 5-4 in the 3rd, on a Freddie Freeman solo homer. The momentum then swung in Houston's favor in the 5th, when they platted three. A bases loaded walk to Maldonado tied it at 5. Then pinch hitter Marwin Gonzalez had a two run single, scoring Bregman and Gurriel to put Houston up 7-5 after five and Houston would never look back.
Houston would add insurance runs in the 7th and 8th inning innings to make the final 9-5. The run in the 8th came after a controversial call, as the replay looked to show that Altuve was out at second but was called safe.
Houston used a by committee approach on the mound after Valdez was pulled in the 3rd. Jose Urquidy worked one inning, he ended up getting the win which is his 2nd in the series. Urquidy, Maton, Stanek, and Graveman combined to hold Atlanta scoreless from the 4th inning on.
For Atlanta, Duvall and Freeman combined to drive in all five runs. Austin Riley stayed hot as he had three hits and Catcher Travis D'Arnaud had two hits. The Braves didn't get much from the top of their order, as the 1-3 hitters had just one hit in 10 combined at bats. Houston's Carlos Correa ripped three hits, Gurriel had three hits and scored twice, and Maldonado drove in three.
The Astros win continues the series , as they look to become just the 8th team in history to win the World Series after being down 3 games to one. Game 6 is Tuesday night in Atlanta, Max Fried is expected to pitch for the Braves. Houston has announced Luis Garcia as their starting pitcher in Game 6. You can hear all the action Tuesday night, as Atlanta tries to secure their first World Title since 1995. Coverage starts at 7 PM Tuesday on ESPN Upstate.
