Toronto Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson (20) celebrates a solo home run, his second of the night, against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016, in Houston. He defeated Baltimore in his last turn, when he gave up one run and three hits in seven innings and matched his career high with 11 strikeouts.
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“Just get us through five and keep us in the game”, Yost said. “But we just never got there”.
“I pitch to contact so I tried to get ahead as best I could”, Musgrove said. The Jays will get their first look at Francisco Liriano and while he hasn’t had a very strong season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he has a fresh start and is reunited with former Bucs battery mate Russell Martin who speaks highly of Liriano and the time they spent together. He has won four of his last five decisions and has given up two or fewer earned runs in five of his last eight outings. “I think the guys are handling it like pros”. “Obviously, this is a difficult month and when you start getting behind a little bit you want to do a little bit harder”.
Texas won the season series 4-3 and would have home-field advantage in the postseason if the teams finish with the same regular-season record and meet in the playoffs.
Toronto (62-47) claimed the series by scoring on a first-inning groundout, a fifth-inning wild pitch and an eighth-inning single through a drawn-in infield before designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion clubbed his 30th home run leading off the ninth.
When Travis scored, it marked the first time during the series that the Blue Jays recorded a run without doing so via a solo home run. “They have a really good lineup over there, bunch of young stars over there. I thought it was going to be a good night”.
The Astros are batting.174 with six runs scored and 52 strikeouts in the team’s last five games.
For Happ, who at 33 is enjoying the best season since his 2009 rookie campaign, it was the 12th time in his 22 starts this year that he has held the opposition to one or no runs. Joaquin Benoit, Jason Grilli and Roberto Osuna followed him to the mound without absorbing any serious wounds. Jose Altuve flew out to right on the first pitch.
Astros: RHP Lance McCullers was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a mild sprain of the right elbow. The Astros recalled IF A.J. Reed from Triple-A Fresno. Astros INF Marwin Gonzalez remains hampered by a right hand/wrist injury that bothers him when he swings right-handed. He went 1 for 4.
After losing the series opener 2-1 in 14 innings on Monday, the Jays swept the next three games, by 2-1, 3-1 and 4-1 scores.
The Houston Astros have dropped seven of their last nine games for the second in 2016.
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The struggling Royals, who lost 3-2 to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday on a three-run homer against reliever Joakim Soria in the eighth inning, start right-hander Dillon Gee (3-5, 4.66 ERA) on Friday.
