Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the ninth inning Sunday, helping Houston to a key 5-3 win over the Angels.
Lowrie came into the game in the ninth inning as a pinch hitter and took advantage of the opportunity. He sent a 346-foot shot over the fence to give the Astros just their second win in their past six games.
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Astros outfielder George Springer went 3 for 5 with a run scored and Jose Altuve went 2 for 4 with a run, an RBI and a walk to help spearhead a sluggish Houston lineup.
The loss dropped the Angels to 4 1/2 games behind in the AL West and three games behind the Rangers for the final wild-card spot. They still have pivotal series against the Twins, Rangers and Astros left on the schedule, though they're all on the road.
Keeping walk-offs in mind, Josh Harrison did some clutch hitting of his own with an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Pirates a 7-6 win over the Brewers.
Star Performers:
AL:
Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and third baseman Adrian Beltre combined for five hits, five runs scored, three home runs and seven RBIs in Texas' 12-4 smashing of the Athletics.
Yankees outfielder Dustin Ackley went 2 for 2 with a three-run home run to help Masahiro Tanaka — who tossed seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts — notch his 12th win of the season in a much-needed 5-0 win against the Blue Jays. But Toronto still leads the AL East by 3 1/2 games.
Orioles first baseman Chris Davis hit his MLB-leading 42nd home run as Baltimore tagged Johnny Cueto for eight runs — seven earned — on the strength of four home runs in an 8-2 win against the Royals. Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop went 3 for 4 with two solo home runs.
NL:
The Nationals may be falling out of playoff contention, but that didn't stop Max Scherzer from spinning a gem against the Marlins. He tossed eight scoreless innings with six strikeouts in Washington's 5-0 win Sunday. Anthony Rendon helped him by going 3 for 4 with two runs scored, an RBI and a walk.
Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke further fortified his case for the NL Cy Young by tossing eight scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in a 4-3 win against the Diamondbacks. Adrian Gonzalez went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a walk.
Plays of the Day:
Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar made a remarkable catch:
Lonnie Chisenhall laid out to rob Rajai Davis:
Rockies outfielder Brandon Barnes dove to make a spectacular catch, then doubled up the runner at first:
A Look Ahead: (All times Eastern)
Astros (77-66) at Rangers (75-67), 8:05 p.m.: The Rangers are just a 1 1/2 games behind Houston in the AL West, so this could be a defining series. Scott Kazmir (7-10, 2.63 ERA) faces off against Cole Hamels (9-8, 3.76 ERA) in a battle between two pitchers who found new teams before the July 31 trade deadline.
Reactions:
"We've got to make sure this guy's ready to pitch," Mets manager Terry Collins said about Matt Harvey on Sunday, via MLB.com. "If we get in the postseason, we've got to have Matt Harvey ready to pitch. And I don't need him to have 15 days off. We've got to come up with a plan that's going to get him out there a little bit more."
"They (Blue Jays) came in and took three in a row and my mindset was: 'I'm not going to let these guys sweep us,'" Tanaka said through an interpreter, via MLB.com. "I'm not going to give in. They're not going to sweep us."