The Astros will need Keuchel to return if they have any hope of staying in the Wild Card race, as Lance McCullers is now on the disabled list.
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Cleveland got a run back in the bottom of the second as Tyler Naquin drove in a run with a ground out, but once again Peacock avoided the big inning despite surrendering a pair of doubles in the frame.
The teams combined to use 13 pitchers in a game that lasted 3 hours, 44 minutes.
“That was the lovable September marathon we all enjoy”, Hinch said.
“It wasn’t his best performance”, manager Terry Francona said, “but yet if not for a hanging 0-2 pitch he would have given up one (run)”. Where we are in the calendar is going to bring the obvious questions, but we just don’t know right now. Paulino reportedly has frontline starter potential, though still hasn’t surpassed 90 innings of work in any season in the minors. Aside from that six-hitter stretch in the second and third innings, Kluber allowed no runs and only one hit. The 30-year-old Dominican has struggled mightily versus Wednesday starter Doug Fister, batting.152 with eight strikeouts in 33 career at-bats.TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland) PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Doug Fister (12-10, 3.91 ERA) vs. Indians RH Carlos Carrasco (10-7, 3.06) Fister endured his worst outing of the season on Friday as the 32-year-old yielded a campaign-high eight runs on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings of a 10-8 setback versus Texas.
In the ninth, Jose Ramirez led off with a single off Giles.
In the third, Houston extended the lead to 3-0 after Manship issued a leadoff walk to Springer and grooved a fastball to Bregman that cleared the 19-foot wall in left field. Luke Gregerson came on to start the inning, and Carlos Santana hit Gregerson’s second pitch into the right-field seats for his 29th home run. “I couldn’t care less what my numbers are at the end of the year”.
Houston added three runs in the seventh on Yuli Gurriel’s sacrifice fly, a throwing error by Cleveland second baseman Jason Kipnis and an infield single by Colby Rasmus.
Clevinger made his sixth start of the season, but first since August 13 after five relief appearances.
Perci Garner, Joe Colon, Dan Otero, Bryan Shaw, and Cody Anderson followed before Tomlin tossed a scoreless ninth.
On Monday, the reigning American League Cy Young Award victor flew back to Houston for further evaluation on the shoulder.
Kluber (15-9) had won his previous seven decisions, a span during which he dominated the way he did while winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2014. Castro missed two games with a bruised knee. Evan Gattis started behind the plate.
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Brad Peacock will be recalled from Triple-A Fresno and pitch in place of Keuchel against the Indians. He was up with the Astros earlier this season and made five relief appearances and had no record and a 3.86 ERA.
