Justin Verlander threw 8 dominant innings, and Carlos Correa, Josh Reddick, and Michael Brantley all homered to lead the Houston Astros over the Minnesota Twins last night, 7-1. After the game, Astros manager AJ Hinch said of Verlander, ''He's done this for over a decade, he knows how to finish his outings strong and control the game when he's got the lead. I've said before, he's a good pitcher all the time, he's a really tough guy to come back on when he has the lead.''
Verlander, who improved to 4-0, retired the first 10 Twins batters before Jorge Polanco crushed a second-deck home run in the 4th inning for the Twins lone run of the night. Verlander also retired 11 out of the last 12 batters he faced. Verlander gave up only 4 hits and struck out 8 for his 7th straight win, dating back to last year. In his last 3 starts, he has pitched 21 innings, giving up only 3 runs with 27 strikeouts.
In the bottom of the second inning, Carlos Correa roped the first pitch off the foul pole in right field for his 3rd homer in 4 games. In the 3rd, Michael Brantley hit a 2 run homer to make it 3-0 Houston, extending Brantley's hit streak to 10 games. In the 8th, Reddick belted a 2 run homer as well. In the 4th inning, Robinson Chirinos doubled in 2 runs, making it 5-1. Reddick's homer made it 7-1.
For the first time since April 19, an Astros starter didn't allow a first inning run. The 'Stros had been outscored 13-0 in the first the last 4 games. Up next, Twins starter Martin Perez tries to keep his perfect record intact with a start against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday after an off-day. Astros starter Gerrit Cole will start against the Indians tonight. Cole is looking to rebound after one of his worst career starts, giving up 9 runs to the Texas Rangers.
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