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Recap: Astros 5, Blue Jays 3; Houston Hit Parade Hurts the Hogtown Heroes

The AL East division-leading Toronto Blue Jays welcomed the Houston Astros to town for a three-game stint this weekend, having won six of the last seven contests against the Astros at the Rogers Centre. Francisco Liriano made his second start for the Jays and his first at home, up against Joe Musgrove. After two very quick innings consisting of just twelve and eight pitches respectively, Liriano lost the strike zone in the third inning, working himself into a one-out, bases-loaded jam that eventually resulted in two Astros runs.

The Jays got one back in the bottom of the inning, managing a run on two hits despite Musgrove throwing only seven pitches, and then another in the bottom of the fourth when Michael Saunders hit a solo shot to opposite field to tie the game at 2-2. The Astros’ hit parade continued into the fifth when a lead-off single followed by back-to-back doubles scored two. A home run followed by a hit-by-pitch in the sixth signalled the end of Liriano’s night, who gave up five earned runs on eight hits on 95 pitches through 5.2 innings. The Jays just simply couldn’t get anything going off the Astros pitchers, stranding runners in key situations in what has become a frustrating tendency with this offense.

Top Play of the Game by WPA

The top play by WPA (.185) came in the top of the third inning when Carlos Correa singled to centre to score Teoscar Hernandez and George Springer, giving the Astros a 2-0 lead.

Bottom Play of the Game by WPA

Darrell Ceciliani led off the third inning with his first hit as a Blue Jays, a double to right field. Cecilinai advanced to third when Devon Travis singled to put two men on with no outs. However, Josh Donaldson grounded into a double play and, although Ceciliani scored, it did put a damper on the rally and was the bottom play of the game by WPA (-.087).

Edwin Hits Number 300

Edwin Encarnacion led off the bottom of the ninth with a monstrous 413 foot shot to left field for the 300th home run of his career. Edwin is just the eleventh Dominican-born player to hit 300 home runs in the majors.

Up Next

Tonight’s loss temporarily puts the Jays in a tie for first in the AL East, pending the outcome of the Orioles/SF Giants game. The Jays will look to even up the series tomorrow afternoon when Aaron Sanchez takes the mound against Collin McHugh. Sanchez struggled his last start when he gave up four runs on nine hits over six innings against the Royals. Sanchez has never faced the Astros. McHugh has not had his best season to date, but has fared well against the Jays throughout his career. First pitch is at 1:07 PM ET.

Lead Photo: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

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