Astros dodge Rays to clinch AL West title

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Carlos Correa set a career-high home run, Lance McCullers Jr. pitched six solid innings and the Houston Astros took the American League West title with a 3-2 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday.

The Astros, despite losing five of their previous six games, fought back against the Seattle Mariners and claimed their fourth division title in five seasons. Correa and McCullers (13-5), Astros first-round picks in 2012, paved the way to a sixth place in the postseason since 2015.

In Thursday’s fourth inning, Correa followed an opening single by Yuli Gurriel and a walk by Kyle Tucker on a three-run homer to left field off Rays left-hander Ryan Yarbrough (9-7). It was the 25th home run of the season for Correa, who hit 24 home runs in 2017.

McCullers, who allowed a two-run homer to Brandon Lowe in the sixth, and a trio of relievers ensured Correa’s blast was enough. Ryne Stanek and Kendall Graveman passed the baton to Ryan Pressly, who worked around a couple of runners with no outs and was stranded in the tying run at third for his 26th save.

McCullers was ready at first, retiring the first nine batters, six through grounded. Lowe broke that stretch with a starting walk in the fourth, but McCullers bounced back on a strikeout from Randy Arozarena and got a boost when his drummer mate Martin Maldonado erased Rays shortstop Wander Franco as he tried to slide second base.

McCullers retired the team in order in the fifth and carried his no-hitter offer to the sixth, at which point things quickly turned off. Ji-Man Choi hit an opening single to center field and, three batters later, Lowe cut the deficit to one run with a two-run homer from the right-field foul post.

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After Lowe hit his 36th home run of the season, McCullers began to falter. He singled to Arozarena and appeared to allow a third consecutive hit when Franco reached after a groundout to third baseman Alex Bregman.

But the Astros challenged the call, it was canceled and McCullers escaped with his lead intact. He allowed two runs, three hits and one walk, with four strikeouts, in six innings. He made 98 pitches, 62 strikes.

Reference-torontosun.com

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