Cleveland Guardians vs Houston Astros Box Score on May 19, 2017

The Sports Xchange
May 19, 2017

HOUSTON -- With the support of three home runs, Cleveland right-hander Trevor Bauer maintained his perfect record against the Houston Astros in the Indians' 5-3 victory on Friday night at Minute Maid Park.

Edwin Encarnacion, Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall all went deep against Astros right-hander Charlie Morton (5-3), who had his four-start winning streak snapped.

Encarnacion hit a game-tying, two-run homer in the fourth inning, his seventh home run this season. Kipnis and Chisenhall added solo shots in the fifth and sixth for their third and sixth homers, respectively, for Cleveland (21-19).

Bauer (4-4) did allow solo homers to Josh Reddick in the third inning and Carlos Correa in the sixth but nevertheless improved to 7-0 in seven career starts against the Astros (29-13), who had their four-game winning streak snapped.

Bauer also surrendered a run-scoring single to Carlos Beltran in the first inning yet pitched two outs into the sixth, allowing three runs, five hits and one walk.

The Indians' vaunted bullpen did the rest, with left-hander Boone Logan, right-hander Brian Shaw, southpaw Andrew Miller and closer Cody Allen combining to work 3 1/3 hitless innings. Allen notched his 11th save with a perfect ninth inning.

When the Astros managed to score on Bauer, they did so when under extreme duress relative to both outs in an inning and strikes in a plate appearance.

After Bauer struck out George Springer and Reddick to open the bottom of the first inning, Jose Altuve and Correa reached via a single and a walk, respectively, before Beltran slapped an RBI single to center field to score Altuve.

Two innings later, Reddick struck while facing an 0-2 count, lining his sixth home run of the season into the right-field seats to double the Houston lead to 2-0. But as he did in the first inning when he allowed his first run, Bauer struck out the side in the third.

By the end of the fifth inning, he had already accumulated a season-high nine strikeouts.

At that point, the Indians led 3-2 thanks to the power of Encarnacion and Kipnis. With one out in the sixth, Chisenhall added to the display with his fifth homer of the season, upping the Cleveland lead to 4-2. One walk to Bradley Zimmer later and Morton was done.

NOTES: Indians OF Austin Jackson (right big toe hyperextension) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus at Louisville. Jackson served as the designated hitter and finished 1-for-3 with a two-run homer. Jackson is scheduled to play again Sunday and Tuesday before his status is re-evaluated. ... Astros RHP Collin McHugh does not have a timetable for his return from a right elbow impingement. McHugh opened the season on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis and suffered the latter injury during his first rehab appearance. He was initially scheduled to be sidelined for a minimum of six weeks. ... Indians RHP Corey Kluber will throw a simulated game on Saturday at Progressive Field against hitters from Class A Lake County. Kluber is scheduled for two innings and, depending on his response, could pitch in a rehab game for his next outing. Kluber was placed on the 10-day disabled list on May 3 with a lower back strain. ... Indians RHP Carlos Carrasco threw a bullpen session and is on pace to make his next start on Tuesday in Cincinnati. He left his previous start on May 15 with left pectoral tightness.