*Photo from Cleveland.com*
There's a bit of a new era in Houston, and it's off to a great start. Yordan Alvarez drove in a run, Trey Mancini homered twice, and the Houston Astros defeated the Cleveland Guardians with a 9-3 victory on Friday night in Cleveland.
After homering in his first start in an Astros uniform on Wednesday, Mancini upped the ante on Friday. He homered two times, including his first career grand slam, as part of a 5 RBI game. He's the first player in Astros history to have his first 3 hits all be home runs, and he tied a franchise record with 7 RBI's in his first 4 games. He's also the first player in baseball history to homer in his first two starts with his first two teams, homering in his first two starts with the Baltimore Orioles in 2016.
Mancini said of joining the Astros that "From the second I got traded here, I wanted to make a positive impact when I’m in, so I’m excited to keep it going. Yeah, that’s my first grand slam. Took me a long time, but I finally got one."
The Guardians got on the board first, with Amed Rosario hitting a first inning solo home run to make it 1-0 early. That lead didn't last long, as Mancini tied it 1-1 with a solo shot in the second inning. In the 3rd inning, the Astros busted it open, taking a 6-1 lead on an RBI single from Alvarez and a Mancini grand slam to left field.
Once the 4th inning came along, it became 8-1 Astros on an RBI double from Jose Altuve and an RBI groundout from Yuli Gurriel. In the 7th inning, the Guardians cut it to 8-3 on an RBI single from Luke Maile and an RBI double from Myles Straw. A sac fly from Martin Maldonado in the 8th wrapped up the scoring, making it a 9-3 ballgame.
Astros bench coach Joe Espada said of the addition of Mancini that "He gives Dusty some flexibility to move some guys around and rest the big pieces and not lose any fire power. No surprise that Mancini gets the bat to the ball, and hits the ball hard."
Picking up the win in his start for the Astros was Framber Valdez. He turned in a good outing, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits in 6 1/3 innings. Seth Martinez pitched the next 1 2/3 innings, followed by a scoreless frame from Bryan Abreu.
Making his MLB debut for the Guardians was Hunter Gaddis, who unfortunately got hit around. Gaddis was responsible for 8 runs on 7 hits and two walks over just 3 1/3 innings pitched. Sam Hentges came on and fired the next 2 2/3 innings. Bryan Shaw pitched one inning, followed by two innings of one run ball from Enyel De Los Santos.
Up next, the Astros and Guardians continue their series on Saturday. Luis Garcia draws the start for the Astros, while Cal Quantrill takes the mound for Cleveland.
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