The Houston Astros built a three-run lead against Framber Valdez, watched it vanish on one swing, fell behind by two runs, then answered with a three-run eighth inning to beat the Tigers 8-6 Saturday at Comerica Park. The Astros lead the four-game series two games to one and improved to 41-44.
Will Vest entered the eighth protecting a 6-5 Detroit lead. Yainer Diaz led off with a single. Two strikeouts later, Vest appeared ready to escape. Three consecutive two-out hits changed everything. Christian Vázquez singled, and Jeremy Peña followed with another single that tied the game after a James Outman error allowed Vázquez to score from second. Isaac Paredes then punched a two-run double to right on a two-strike fastball, giving Houston the lead for good.
Josh Hader worked a scoreless ninth for his seventh save. The bullpen as a whole was excellent: Steven Okert, AJ Blubaugh, and Bryan King combined for 4⅓ scoreless innings behind Okert’s lone blemish, a solo home run by Hao-Yu Lee in the fifth that ended a lengthy scoreless run for the left-hander.
Christian Walker went 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI, matching a career high in hits after entering the day in a 2-for-27 stretch. Peña went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Cam Smith put Houston up 2-0 in the second against Valdez with a two-run homer.
Yordan Alvarez was given a scheduled day off on his 29th birthday. Manager Joe Espada said the day off was planned well in advance.
Teng Falters Again
Kai-Wei Teng worked his first two innings on just 20 pitches before unraveling in the third. A leadoff walk to James Outman and a McGonigle single put runners at the corners. Teng struck out Dillon Dingler, but Yainer Diaz’s throw sailed wide, scoring Outman and moving McGonigle to third. Spencer Torkelson was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Kerry Carpenter then deposited a curveball 390 feet to right-center for a grand slam that wiped out a 3-0 Houston lead.
Teng could not escape the fourth. Spencer Torkelson doubled home a run to put Detroit ahead, and Teng was pulled after just 3⅓ innings. His ERA has climbed sharply over his last six starts after he had been one of the club’s most reliable arms earlier in the season.
Four Against Framber
The Astros jumped Valdez early, building a 3-0 lead through three innings. Walker doubled to open the second, Smith homered, and Peña’s two-out RBI single in the third briefly forged a 4-4 tie after Carpenter’s grand slam. But Valdez retired his final several batters to complete six innings, limiting the damage.
“If you let him settle in, he’s as tough as it gets,” Espada said pregame. “But if you put him against the ropes, you can get him in a tough spot.”
The Astros got to Valdez early, but they could not put him away. Still, those early runs kept Houston within striking distance until the eighth-inning rally.
Hunter Brown starts Sunday’s series finale against Jack Flaherty. The first pitch is at 12:10 CT.
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