Los Angeles Dodgers vs Houston Astros Box Score on Oct 29, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Oct 30, 2017

HOUSTON -- Alex Bregman stroked a walk-off single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Houston Astros to a wild 13-12 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday night at Minute Maid Park.

The Astros will take a 3-2 series lead back to Los Angeles on their strength of their prolific offense, which produced 14 hits and five homers Sunday.

Bregman, who homered off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (0-1) with two outs in the ninth inning of Game 4, lined the first pitch of their second confrontation in two games to center field, scoring pinch runner Derek Fisher from second base.

Fisher replaced catcher Brian McCann, who homered in the eighth inning and reached in the 10th after being hit by a pitch with two outs. George Springer walked, moving Fisher to second.

The Astros, who managed just two hits in Game 4, faced a 4-0 deficit in Game 5 against Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers' ace left-hander handcuffed Houston in Game 1, allowing one run over seven innings while tallying 11 strikeouts. Game 5 didn't resemble the series opener.

Yuli Gurriel and Jose Altuve slugged dramatic, three-run home runs before Springer and Carlos Correa went deep in the seventh inning.

Gurriel ignited the onslaught with his three-run blast off Kershaw in the fourth inning, capping an inspired four-run frame that pulled the Astros even.

The Dodgers provided Kershaw the lead again a half-inning later when rookie first baseman Cody Bellinger crushed a three-run homer off Astros right-hander Collin McHugh, but Kershaw could not manage the prosperity.

Despite recording two quick outs to open the fifth, Kershaw did not complete the inning, issuing back-to-back walks to Springer and Bregman before getting the hook.

Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda had yet to allow a run this postseason, but that changed when Altuve bashed his seventh home run of the postseason to left-center field, tying it at 7-7.

Kershaw allowed six runs on four hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings. But he was an afterthought by the seventh when Springer and Correa took righty Brandon Morrow deep.

Morrow made his fifth consecutive appearance and 12th overall this postseason. He yielded a titanic blast to left by Springer that pulled the Astros even again at 8-8.

Two batters later, Altuve doubled to drive home Bregman for the Astros' first lead, and Correa chased Morrow with a two-run shot to left.

Trailing 12-9 entering the ninth, the Dodgers rallied against Astros right-hander Chris Devenski, who recorded the final out of the eighth with the tying run at second.

Yasiel Puig golfed a two-run homer into the Crawford Boxes in left. Two batters after Austin Barnes hit a one-out double, Chris Taylor lined a two-out, two-strike RBI single to center.

The shortest home start of Dallas Keuchel's postseason career began ominously with a leadoff single from Taylor and quickly eroded from there. Keuchel couldn't find the strike zone in the first inning, issuing back-to-back walks to Justin Turner and Enrique Hernandez before surrendering a two-out, two-run single to third baseman Logan Forsythe.

The Astros' defense, stellar throughout the playoffs, contributed to the third run of the frame when Gurriel took a pickoff toss from Keuchel and threw wildly to second base, pulling Altuve off the bag. Forsythe took second on the play; Hernandez scored to silence the partisan crowd.

Keuchel appeared to settle down in the second and third innings, but he surrendered three additional hits in the fourth, including a two-out, run-scoring single to Barnes, before departing. With Kershaw on the mound and the Dodgers leading 4-0, things looked dire for Houston. Then the bottom of the fourth unfolded and the madness was just getting started.

NOTES: After taking a grounder off the left calf in Game 4 and being lifted for a pinch runner in the ninth inning, the Dodgers' Justin Turner moved to designated hitter from his customary spot at third. Logan Forsythe shifted from second base to third with Charlie Culberson joining the starting lineup, playing second and batting ninth. ... Without explicitly labeling the move as a demotion, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said he would avoid using RHP Ken Giles in high-leverage situations when possible. Giles took the loss in Game 4 and has allowed at least one run in six of seven postseason appearances. ... With Los Angeles facing a left-handed starter, Dodgers LF Enrique Hernandez batted cleanup for the third time this postseason. He did so twice in the National League Championship Series against Cubs LHPs Jose Quintana and Jon Lester in Games 1 and 2.