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SPORTS Saturday 5 OctOber 2019

Verlander, Altuve lead Astros over Rays 6-2 in ALDS opener

By KRISTIE RIEKEN the bases, a huge grin plas- to Michael Brantley before Bregman walked and stole netted Meadows, looked
AP Sports Writer tered on his face. Alex Bregman knocked second base. AL Rookie of strong early and Houston’s
HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Ver- powerful offense had trou-
lander looked every bit the ble stringing anything to-
October ace, Jose Altuve gether off him until Altuve’s
polished his postseason shot. The Astros loaded
resume and the Houston the bases with two outs in
Astros kept rolling, beating the third, but the big right-
the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 hander struck out Alvarez
Friday to open their AL Divi- to end the threat.
sion Series. The 26-year-old Glasnow,
The Astros, who won a fran- who was making his playoff
chise-record 107 games for debut had missed almost
the best record in the ma- four months with a strained
jors, began their quest for a right forearm before his re-
second World Series title in turn on Sept. 8, seemed to
three years against a Rays run out of gas in the fifth. He
team that downed Oak- allowed four hits and two
land 5-1 in the wild-card runs with five strikeouts in 4
game this week. 1/3 innings.
Verlander kept up his domi- Yandy Díaz, who starred
nant run this year when with two homers and three
he posted an MLB-most 21 hits in the wild-card game,
wins, allowing just a soft sin- was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
gle in seven shutout innings. UP NEXT
He struck out eight and im- Cole is a Cy Young award
proved to 8-0 in 12 career contender after setting a
ALDS appearances. team record by winning his
Tampa Bay got its only hit last 16 decisions and top-
off Verlander when Bran- ping the AL with a career-
don Lowe singled to start best 2.50 ERA. His career-
the fifth. Verlander ended high 326 strikeouts were the
his day by striking out the Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays most in the majors and set
side in the seventh, pound- in the first inning during Game 1 of a best-of-five American League Division Series baseball game a franchise record that had
ing his fist into his glove as in Houston, Friday, Oct. 4, 2019. stood since 1979 when J.R.
he walked off the mound Associated Press Richard fanned 313.
after fanning Lowe. Snell, who won the Cy
Rays starter Tyler Glasnow Altuve has homered in one off the wall in left for a the Year candidate Yor- Young in 2018, is happy
had given up just three sin- Game 1 of the ALDS for double. dan Alvarez and Gurriel fol- to be healthy for the post-
gles when he walked Josh three straight years, and Chaz Roe relieved with two lowed with RBI doubles to season after sitting out
Reddick on four pitches to the small-but-powerful outs and Yuli Gurriel hit a make it 6-0. from July 22-Sept. 17 after
begin the fifth. He struck second baseman now has high popup to shallow right Tampa Bay hit four home arthroscopic surgery to re-
out George Springer, but nine home runs in 33 career field that Lowe chased runs in its wild-card win move bone chips in his left
Altuve then tagged him postseason games. from second base as right Wednesday at Oakland, elbow. Snell didn’t get out
for a two-run homer, lining Game 2 is Saturday when fielder Austin Meadows also but did nothing until Ver- of the third inning in any of
a fastball into the left field Gerrit Cole, who has won dashed in. Lowe looked to lander left. Pinch-hitter Eric his three September starts,
seats. 16 straight decisions and have it, so Meadows pulled Sogard had an RBI single of but believes he’ll be able
The sellout crowd of 43,360, led the majors in strikeouts, up — but the ball glanced Ryan Pressly with two outs in to go quite a bit longer on
which included Astros Hall starts against Tampa Bay’s off Lowe’s glove for an er- the eighth and scored on a Saturday.
of Famers Nolan Ryan and Blake Snell. ror that allowed two runs to double by Meadows to cut “I feel very good,” he said.
Craig Biggio, erupted into Altuve’s homer touched off score to push the lead to the lead to 6-2. “I feel like I’ll be able to go
deafening cheers and fans a four-run inning. Brendan 4-0. Glasnow, who came to five strong innings, if I’m in
twirled bright orange tow- McKay took over for Glas- The Astros added two more the Rays in last year’s trade the zone and attacking like
els as Altuve trotted around now and allowed a single runs in the seventh after for Chris Archer that also I should be.”q