HOUSTON — The Houston Astros enjoyed their share of luck and made some of their own during their 12-game winning streak
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Well, at least right fielder George Springer did. Already mired in a miserable slump dating back one month, Springer had a potential game-tying,
three-run home run snagged by Toronto right fielder Randal Grichuk with no outs
in the ninth inning of the Astros’ 6-3 loss. Grichuk shifted from center field
to right in the ninth to make way for standout defender Kevin Pillar.
Instead of pulling the Astros even at 6-all, Springer finished 0-for-5 with a strikeout and three runners stranded. He entered the series with a
.196/.322/.353 slash line since May 26, the first game after he improved his OPS
to .894 with a robust .305/.367/.527 line through 50 games.
“It sucks
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Despite opening Monday tied with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox for the best record in the majors, the Astros (52-28) have been a bit unlucky in
close, low-scoring games. While their pitching staff has performed splendidly in
the first half of the season, the Astros are just 8-14 in one-run games and
dropped to 7-19 when scoring three or fewer runs. Houston has run roughshod over
opponents on the road, but the loss to Toronto dropped the Astros to a modest
23-17 at home.
“Baseball can be pretty cruel,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “That’s a tough one. Right off the bat, I thought George got one. It carried and carried
and carried and looked like he (Grichuk) had to go pretty deep into the stands
to get it. George delivered a great swing. Cruel sport.”
Right-hander Charlie Morton (9-1
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both coming last season. He has scuffled in June, going 2-1 with a 4.29 ERA
while issuing 15 walks and posting six hit batsmen over 21 innings.
Toronto (37-41) will counter with left-hander Ryan Borucki, who will make his major league debut. The Blue Jays’ top pitching prospect, Borucki made the climb
from Class A Dunedin to Triple-A Buffalo over the past two seasons. He was 6-5
with a 3.27 ERA over 13 starts with the Bison, recording 58 strikeouts in 77
innings. Borucki was scratched from his start on Sunday.
Selected by Toronto in the 15th round of the 2012 draft, Borucki missed the 2013 season following Tommy John surgery. He slowly reclaimed his
strength
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confirm published reports that Borucki would make his debut, but the secret is
out.
“We’ll have the young kid going (Tuesday) so hopefully he gives us some innings,” Gibbons said in response to concerns over his fatigued bullpen. “Nice
way to debut.”
When pressed that he accidentally revealed his hand, Gibbons quipped, “You don’t know what young kid. Could be one of three or four of them.”
Police say a former Detroit Lions player has been arrested in Pittsburgh for punching an
officer after refusing to pay a limo driver.
NFL free agent Brandon Pettigrew is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, theft of services and public drunkenness.
Police say the 33-year-old tight end refused to pay $97 for a limo ride to a downtown hotel early Monday.
According to a complaint, when officers arrived Pettigrew became aggressive and punched one officer in the chest three times. Police allege he was visibly
intoxicated.
The complaint says officers drew their stun guns but Pettigrew
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A message seeking comment from Pettigrew wasn't immediately returned Monday.
Sean Howard, who has represented Pettigrew, says he has no comment.
No attorney information is available.
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