Christian Walker’s two-run, tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning helped rescue the Houston Astros after they squandered a big lead, winning 9-8 against the host Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night.
Walker has homered in each of the first three games of the series, helping put the Astros in position to sweep the four-game series going into Sunday afternoon.
Carlos Correa, Jesus Sanchez and Victor Caratini all homered in a five-run first inning for Houston, which was shut out in three consecutive games earlier in the week. The Astros have scored 26 runs in three games of this series.
Jeremiah Jackson and Colton Cowser hit solo home runs for the Orioles. Cowser drove in three runs and joined Jackson and Dylan Beavers with two hits apiece.
Despite giving up two homers, AJ Blubaugh (2-1) was the winning pitcher with four innings of relief. Bryan Abreu pitched the ninth for his third save and second in as many nights.
Dietrich Enns (1-2) was tagged with the loss in relief.
Jose Altuve compiled three hits, including a double, and Correa, Sanchez, Walker, Caratini and all had two hits for the Astros, accounting for all of the team’s hits.
The teams combined for 10 runs across the first two innings, with the score knotted at 5-5. There was scoring in all except for the sixth and ninth innings.
Houston went back ahead in the third inning when Caratini’s groundout to third turned into two runs courtesy of a throwing error by first baseman Coby Mayo.
After Walker’s 19th homer of the season, the Orioles cut their deficit to 9-8 on Jackson’s two-out single in the eighth.
Astros starter Cristian Javier was done after yielding five runs, three earned, in two innings.
Baltimore starter Dean Kremer made it through five innings, allowing seven runs, six earned, on seven hits and one walk.
Christian Walker’s late homer powers Astros past Orioles in slugfest
