JASON ALEXANDER took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and pitched six scoreless innings as the visiting Houston Astros took an early lead on Max Fried en route to a 7-1 victory over the struggling New York (NY) Yankees on Sunday afternoon.
Making his 15th career start and fourth for Houston, Alexander (3-1) did not allow a hit until Ben Rice lined a one-out single. Five pitches after Rice’s hit, Alexander used his sweeper to induce a double play by Aaron Judge.
It was Alexander’s second career scoreless start since debuting in August 2022 for the Milwaukee Brewers. Alexander also tossed six scoreless innings in Monday’s 8-2 win over the host Miami Marlins.
Alexander had a lead before taking the mound as Jose Altuve homered on the first pitch he saw from Fried (12-5). Altuve hammered a fastball into the left-field seats for his 250th career homer.
It was the second home run of the series and 14th in the regular season against the Yankees for Altuve, who has 21 homers on the year.
Altuve started at designated hitter and became the 12th player whose primary position is second base to hit 250 career homers.
Altuve singled in the third and scored Houston’s second run on a double by Christian Walker. Altuve reached base four times by drawing walks in the seventh and ninth.
Rookie Cam Smith added a two-strike, two-run double with two outs in the fifth for a 4-0 lead.
In the ninth inning, Carlos Correa blasted his second homer in nine games since returning to Houston in a trade from the Minnesota Twins. Correa’s homer started a three-run inning off Tim Hill, and the Astros upped their lead on run-scoring singles by pinch-hitter Ramon Urias and Mauricio Dubon.
The Yankees threatened in the seventh against Bennett Sousa and Bryan Abreu. Sousa loaded the bases with one out, and Ryan McMahon hit a sacrifice fly to bring in a run. But after allowing the score, Abreu easily retired Austin Wells.
The Yankees lost for the seventh time in nine games and manager Aaron Boone was ejected in the third inning by plate umpire Derek Thomas for arguing a called strike on McMahon.
ERNIE CLEMENT HOMERS IN 9TH TO LIFT BLUE JAYS OVER DODGERS
Ernie Clement hit the first pitch of the ninth inning over the fence in left and the visiting Toronto Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5-4 victory on Sunday afternoon.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Addison Barger hit back-to-back solo home runs in the eighth inning to erase a one-run deficit for the Blue Jays.
Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman homered for the Dodgers, who were trying to sweep a team with a winning record for the first time this season.
Los Angeles reliever Blake Treinen took over in the eighth with the Dodgers leading 3-2, but Guerrero homered to left-center field on an 0-and-2 pitch and Barger went deep to right-center field on another sweeper.
The Dodgers then loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth and Freeman drew his second bases-loaded walk of the game to force in a run and tie it 4-4.
Los Angeles reliever Alex Vesia (2-2) took the mound for the ninth and immediately gave up the solo shot to left by Clement.
Toronto left-hander Eric Lauer came in 7-2 in 12 career starts against the Dodgers with a 2.63 ERA, but he went just three innings, allowing three runs and six hits while striking out four and walking four.
Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow allowed two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out eight and walked four.
Bo Bichette walked with one out in the first inning and Guerrero followed with a double just over the outstretched glove of left fielder Alex Call, scoring Bichette from first base for a 1-0 lead.
The Dodgers quickly got the run back when Ohtani homered to lead off the bottom of the first, his first 41st of the season, tying the score 1-1.
Mookie Betts followed with a walk, but he was caught stealing one pitch before Freeman hit an opposite-field home run for a 2-1 lead.
Both teams had the bases loaded with one out in the second. Toronto didn’t take advantage, then Lauer got Will Smith on a shallow flyout, but he walked Freeman to force in a run and extend the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1.
Toronto cut the lead to 3-2 in the sixth after Bichette led off with a single, took second on a comebacker and scored on a two-out looping single to right by Ty France, ending the day for Glasnow. — Reuters
