Field Level Media
25 Sep 2022, 16:49 GMT+10
The Baltimore Orioles will try to bounce back from a damaging loss when they host the Houston Astros in the finale of a four-game series on Sunday.
After blanking Houston in the first two games, Baltimore appeared on the verge of winning a slugfest when it took a 9-7 lead in the eighth inning Saturday night. But the Astros rallied for four runs in the ninth and held on for an 11-10 win.
The loss, coupled with a win by Seattle, left Baltimore (79-72) four games behind the Mariners for the final American League wild-card spot with 11 games remaining.
"Every game you lose right now hurts, and we've got to rebound, and we've got a day game tomorrow," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Saturday. "We'll try to win a series tomorrow."
Despite the loss, Baltimore leads the season series 4-2.
The playoff-bound Astros (100-53) helped manager Dusty Baker become just the fourth manager in major league history to win 100 games in both leagues.
"It's been a record-setting year in many ways, and we've got a couple more records to go," Baker said.
Right-hander Cristian Javier (10-9, 2.77 ERA) will go for the Astros on Sunday as they seek the series split. Javier has won his last three decisions and has given up three earned runs or less in each of his past 12 starts.
He is coming off allowing no runs on one hit with six strikeouts and four walks over five innings in a 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
Javier is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three relief appearances against the Orioles.
Baltimore will counter on Sunday with right-hander Austin Voth (5-3, 4.32), who has allowed three earned runs or less in each of his 16 starts this season for the Orioles after being acquired on waivers from the Washington Nationals. In his last outing, Voth allowed two runs on six hits in five innings during a 3-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday.
Voth is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two games -- one start -- vs. Houston.
On Saturday night, the Astros tied the score 7-7 in the eighth before Anthony Santander's second homer of the night, a two-run shot, put Baltimore ahead 9-7.
Bautista, so reliable for the Orioles this season, couldn't seal the win. Kyle Tucker's double to right tied it, and Yuli Gurriel's two-run single against Jake Reed made it 11-9.
It wasn't a save chance as Bautista finished the eighth and was in line for the win.
"It's difficult for sure," Bautista said. "I couldn't go out and complete the job, but at the end of the day, it's an experience that I'm going to learn from, and I know next time I go out there I'll be better."
Cedric Mullins also homered for Baltimore.
Jose Altuve homered for Houston, which broke out of a mini slump with 12 hits, including two each by Tucker, Gurriel and Yordan Alvarez.
"They got some big hits, we got some big hits. They were celebrating, we were celebrating," Baker said. "I'm just glad we won. That was a strange game."
Houston shortstop Jeremy Pena left the game with a facial abrasion after sliding across home plate in the fifth inning and is day-to-day.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Houston Mirror news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Houston Mirror.
More InformationOTTAWA, Canada: With Canada Post struggling to maintain operations amid labour unrest, rivals like FedEx and UPS are stepping in to...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. and global markets showed a mixed performance in Tuesday's trading session, with some indices edging higher...
PARIS, France: French military and intelligence officials have accused China of orchestrating a covert campaign to damage the reputation...
NEW DELHI, India: Birkenstock is stepping up its efforts to protect its iconic sandals in India, as local legal representatives conducted...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...
NEW YORK, New York - Monday's trading session saw mixed performances across U.S. and global markets, with several major indices posting...
DHARAMSHALA, India: The Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6, celebrated by thousands of followers in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala,...
ZAGREB, Croatia: A massive concert by popular Croatian singer Marko Perković, known by his stage name Thompson, has drawn widespread...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's entry into the political arena is drawing pushback from top U.S. officials and investors, as his decision...
CULVER CITY, California: TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware that the term shylock is regarded as antisemitic when he used it in...
PARIS, France: A strike by French air traffic controllers demanding improved working conditions caused significant disruptions during...