Bregman returns, bringing home the winning run against Royals.
Bregman brings home winning run in return
Alex Bregman bounded out of the dugout. None of his teammates followed. Embarrassed but elated, Bregman bent over at third base to conceal his grin. He soaked in the pregame applause from a sparse Wednesday afternoon crowd.
The other eight Astros arrived amid it to welcome him back from a two-month absence, from which Bregman is bringing a more responsible approach. Soft-tissue injuries have robbed him of more than 70 games across the last two seasons. The man who seems to stay at superhuman speed might need to slow down. The Astros cannot risk losing him again.
Caution must supersede aggression. Manager Dusty Baker agrees. He sought his athletic trainer before the bottom of the 10th inning for advice.
“Is Breggy good enough to run if he has to score?” Baker asked.
Baker had one player left on his bench. The trainer gave his blessing, and Bregman walked to second base to start the 10th. Under Baker’s orders, third
base coach Omar Lopez did not wave him home on Kyle Tucker’s single. Ninety feet away from a win, Bregman scooted out to a secondary lead at third base. Jake Meyers gave him reason to sprint.
Meyers chopped a sinker toward Kansas City reliever Joel Payamps. It bounced off the pitcher’s body and trickled a few feet away. Bregman booked it across home plate as the run that completed a comeback. Teammates now poured from the dugout to join him.
“That’s what this team has been all about,” catcher Martín Maldonado said after the 6-5 win. “We felt like it was a must-win game for us today, especially with the off day tomorrow. It was really good to get that win.”
Oakland and Seattle sat idle Wednesday, so the Astros gained a half-game in the American League West. Their comeback created a five-game cushion over the A’s and a six-game lead over the Mariners. Houston hasn’t had a division lead this big since July 31. Securing it required a late-inning rally to absolve a manager of his folly.
Run-scoring singles by Aledmys Díaz in the seventh and Michael Brantley in the eighth brought the club back from a crushing blow. Brantley’s two-out knock against Royals reliever Scott Barlow alleviated what had been a 3-for-30 stretch for the outfielder, tying a game Cristian Javier tried to give away.
Javier had inherited six baserunners all season. Two scored. He is a starter still learning the intricacies of relieving. Baker and pitching coach Brent Strom are gradually introducing the young righthander to leverage situations. Perhaps Wednesday was a step too far.
Baker turned to Javier for the top of Kansas City’s order in the seventh inning. Starter Lance McCullers Jr. departed with the bases loaded and two outs. Houston clung to a 3-1 lead. Ryne Stanek threw 11⁄3 innings Tuesday night, rendering him unavailable.
Stanek is ordinarily the man for a stressful spot before the eighth or ninth. Baker could have brought in setup man Kendall Graveman for an extra out, but he chose Javier. Whit Merrifield made him regret it. Javier’s first pitch missed “two feet” inside, according to Baker. Merrifield mashed it for a go-ahead grand slam into the Crawford Boxes.
“My heart sank at that moment,” Baker said.
Television cameras captured McCullers disappearing into the clubhouse when the ball landed. Three of the four runs to cross were his responsibility. His ERA rose to 3.32 after the 62⁄3-inning appearance. He faced 27 batters but rued the final two.
McCullers dodged constant traffic and inconsistent command. The Royals had a runner against him in every inning but one. Maldonado threw two of them out trying to steal bases.
No American League team steals more bases than Kansas City. The Royals ran at will against the Astros across their first six meetings. They stole successfully seven times in nine attempts during four games at Kauffman Stadium last week. Michael A. Taylor’s ill-fated steal of home drew most of the attention Tuesday, but the Royals had two other successful steals, continuing their torment of Houston’s catchers.
Merrifield tried to steal third base after a one-out double during the third. Hunter Dozier took off for second base on a two-strike pitch during the fourth. Maldonado threw both out with ease. He’s caught 13 runners trying to steal this season, tying him with Salvador Perez and Christian Vazquez for the American League lead.
“I feel like that’s part of my game, especially when you have guys that run,” Maldonado said. “It keeps you more on your toes, more ready from the get-go. I just have to do my job. I know they’re going to steal. They’ve got guys that are really fast. That’s my job.”
Perez pummeled McCullers’ elevated sinker for a game-tying solo home run to start the fourth. Kansas City struck out seven times but seemed far more patient and less willing to chase McCullers’ slider. He generated just 12 swings and misses out of the 47 swings offered.
McCullers matched his season high with four walks. The final two turned near-fatal. He secured two quick seventh-inning outs before unraveling against the bottom of a bad lineup. Taylor struck a single. Eight-hole hitter Emmanuel Rivera worked a sevenpitch free pass. Cam Gallagher, the backup catcher batting ninth, loomed.
“After the two-out single and a base on balls, I said, ‘Well, it’s his game,’ ” Baker said. “He had a .188 hitter up with two RBIs and one home run. I said ‘Well, he’s got enough to get this guy.’ ”
McCullers walked Gallagher on eight pitches. His final offering sailed two feet into the other batter’s box. Baker ascended the dugout steps after it landed. McCullers had thrown 107 pitches, four shy of his season high. He handed his manager the baseball and left with a lead soon to be lost.
“I was praying the boys would bail me out, which they did,” Baker said. “Sometimes you need that.”