Astros 6 - 7 Blue Jays
Final
  for this game

Jays sweep Astros on Colabello's walk-off hit

Jun 8, 2015 - 4:06 AM Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Colabello pushed his hitting streak to 17 games and the Blue Jays walked off with a dramatic win over the Astros.

Colabello's two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday afternoon capped a three-run rally that lifted Toronto to a 7-6 win over Houston.

The Blue Jays swept the three-game series, getting a little help from the Astros on a strange defensive play in the ninth when shortstop Jonathan Villar ran into Jose Reyes standing on second base while trying to field a pop-up.

Pinch-hitter Munenori Kawasaki sparked the rally with a leadoff ground-rule double off Astros closer Luke Gregerson (2-1) and scored on Reyes' single to draw the Blue Jays within a run.

Reyes stole second base and Jose Bautista, who hit solo homers in the first and seventh innings, popped up near second. Reyes went back to the bag and ducked as Villar tried to cross over to the second base side to make the catch.

Villar ran into Reyes and dropped the ball, putting runners at first and second. And after Reyes and Bautista executed a double-steal, Colabello stroked a hit into center field to extend Toronto's winning streak to a season-high five games.

"That was very odd," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "When you start playing good baseball, you get out to some nice rolls and things start going your way."

Jake Marisnick stroked a solo homer, and Evan Gattis hit a go-ahead two-run double in a four-run seventh inning for the AL-leading Astros, who have dropped four in a row.

Houston starter Collin McHugh was in line for the win after giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk in six innings.

"That game was there to win," said Astros manager A.J. Hinch. "They came through with big plays at the best time for them and obviously some really weird things happened for us to find a way to lose that game."

Russell Martin hit a two-run homer for the Blue Jays, who entered the series with a seven-game losing streak to the Astros, which included a four-game sweep in Houston last month.

Toronto starter R.A. Dickey gave up four runs -- two earned -- on four hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings. The knuckleballer struck out five.

Liam Hendriks (1-0) pitched the eighth and ninth innings to earn the win.

The Astros scored four runs off reliever Bo Schultz in the seventh to take a 6-3 lead. The first run scored on third baseman Josh Donaldson's throwing error and Gattis followed with a broken-bat double over the head of center fielder Kevin Pillar to give Houston the lead. Gattis eventually scored the fourth run on Chris Carter's sacrifice fly.

Bautista cut it to 6-4 in the bottom of the seventh with his second homer of the game and 11th of the season, a two-out blast to left-center off reliever Will Harris.

Earlier, Bautista's blast to center in the first inning gave the Blue Jays the lead.

Colby Rasmus led off the top of the second with a double and scored later in the inning on Dickey's wild pitch, and the Astros took the lead in the third when Marisnick homered on a 3-2 knuckleball.

Toronto went back on top in the fourth after Dioner Navarro singled and Martin drove a 90-mph fastball the other way to right field for his eighth homer of the season to make it 3-2.

The Astros loaded the bases against Dickey in the sixth, but Aaron Loup came on to struck out Hank Conger to end the inning.

Game Notes

Marisnick hit his fourth homer of the season ... The Astros remain on the road for a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox starting Monday ... The Blue Jays will host Miami in a three-game series starting Monday.






Related News