Caleb Joseph and Steve Pearce hit two-run homers off Dallas Keuchel as the Baltimore Orioles dealt the left-hander his first loss in a 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday.
Keuchel (6-1) came in with a 1.67 ERA and had won three straight starts. He allowed just one home run in nine appearances this season before Joseph connected in the second inning and Pearce went deep in the seventh.
Keuchel gave up six hits, struck out three and walked one over eight innings in his first complete game of the year and seventh of his career.
Photo: AP
George Springer had a season-high three hits and a homer for the Astros, who stranded seven and went one for 11 with runners in scoring position.
By contrast, Baltimore left no one on base and did not bat once with a runner in scoring position.
Brad Brach (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings of relief and Oliver Drake worked a perfect eighth before Zach Britton got three straight outs for his 11th save.
Keuchel retired 11 straight batters until the seventh, when Delmon Young singled with one out and Pearce drove the next pitch over the wall in right-center to erase a 3-2 deficit.
Orioles starter Chen Wei-yin allowed three runs and 11 hits in five innings. Only once before had the left-hander surrendered more hits in a game, but he kept the damage to a minimum by repeatedly working out of jams.
The Astros squandered several scoring opportunities until the fifth inning, when Chris Carter hit a two-out, opposite-field bloop single to right field that brought in two runs for a 3-2 lead.
Houston got singles from the first two batters in both the first and second innings, but could not score.
Baltimore went up 2-0 in the second when Young singled and Joseph hit a drive that barely cleared the left-field wall, only the second homer allowed by Keuchel in 66 innings.
Springer led off the third with his seventh home run, the first in 33 at-bats.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
US President Donald Trump said he would attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Madison Square Garden, but said he does not have much sympathy for ordinary basketball fans who cannot afford sky-high ticket prices to do the same. “They can watch it on television,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on Friday as he flew to Wisconsin for an event with farmers, after he was asked about tickets that have climbed as high as US$8,000 each when the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs square off in Manhattan for the first time in the series. “It’s sorta
Liverpool are in advanced talks with former AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as they seek a replacement for Arne Slot, reports said on Tuesday. Iraola has emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, who was sacked on Saturday last week after a turbulent second season in charge. Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to bring the Spaniard, who left Bournemouth at the end of this season, to Anfield. Sporting director Richard Hughes was heavily involved in hiring Iraola during his time at Bournemouth and is again spearheading the recruitment of the highly rated coach. The Reds are
RSS