Once again the Astros have made a major comeback. After getting blown out 8-0 Friday night against Detroit, the Astros are back on top after Saturday afternoon with an 8-6 win.
This is now their fifth series in a row where they have a real chance to come out on top. For a team that could not stop losing earlier this season, that is a massive turnaround. Houston is getting its healthy players back, and the Astros are right in the mix for the AL West.
The Astros took on the Tigers for game three of this four-game series Saturday afternoon at Comerica Park. Kai-Wei Teng went up against former Astros ace Framber Valdez.
Cam Smith kicked off the game strong with a two run home run, putting the Astros on the board early.
The Astros had a tough third inning, and let the Tigers in the door.
Detroit loaded the bases in the third on a walk, an Altuve fielding error, and a hit batter, and Teng hung a curveball that Kerry Carpenter launched for a grand slam.
But the Astros didn't unravel and they stayed in the game.
The Astros answered in the top of the fourth with a pair of singles, a productive groundout, and another single to tie it at 4-4, but Spencer Torkelson's two-out double in the bottom of the inning gave Detroit a 5-4 lead and ended Teng's day after just 3 2/3 innings.
Hao-Yu Lee added a homer off reliever Steven Okert in the fifth to make it 6-4 Tigers. Christian Walker's RBI single cut it to 6-5 in the seventh, setting up an even bigger inning to come. Walker's first RBI since June 13th.
Once again the Astros didn't unravel.
Down 6-5 in the eighth, Yainer Diaz led off with a single. Christian Vazquez followed with a single of his own, and Peña drove in Diaz with a base hit to tie it at 6. Paredes stepped up next against his former team after an error by Tigers center fielder James Outman put runners on second and third, and delivered a two-run double to put the Astros ahead 8-6 for good.
This kind of resilience has been the story of the Astros' season lately. The bullpen has been one of the best in the AL since May 15, and the Astros are 23-16 in that span. Hunter Brown gets the ball Sunday in his hometown of Detroit, about two miles from Wayne State University where he played college baseball, with a chance to take the series.
A wild one in Detroit, but the Astros found a way once again.
