Brandon Barnes’ Walkoff Double Leads Astros To 12th Inning Win

It took 12 innings but the result was great to see for all Astros fans who stuck around. Brandon Barnes hit a walk off double and the Astros celebrated in fantastic fashion for their first walk off victory of the season. The Astros missed out on a few opportunities in extras, but Barnes made sure to pull through when he was inserted into the game. In the 10th inning it appeared Matt Dominguez may have hit a walk off HR, but it went just a few feet foul. Jose Altuve hit a near bomb in the 11th, but it was caught at the warning track in front of the 404 sign. It was a sweet win for the Astros, and it was great seeing the celebration of the players and coaches, after the walk off win!

Bud Norris got the start about 4.5 hours earlier, and started the game a bit shaky. Norris allowed two doubles in the 1st inning, and it looked like it could be a long afternoon with several hard hit outs. Norris ended up laboring through seven innings throwing 110 pitches, but did a great job of getting out of several jams, including a bases-loaded no-out jam in the 3rd inning. Norris would allow just one more run in the game on a squeeze play in the 4th. The Rockies struggled to score runs today but had many chances to do so. They left a total of 34 men on base according to MLB.com box score. Norris finished the day allowing eight hits, two runs, three walks, and striking out three in his seven innings.

The Astros made it look like it could be a quick day at the plate, when they allowed Jhoulys Chacin to go through the order with a perfect three innings. However, the Astros were able to get to him in the 4th inning, when Carlos Pena smacked a double into the LCF gap, scoring Jose Altuve and Jason Castro. The Astros squandered a chance in the 8th with runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs. Jose Altuve grounded into a double play, and J.D. Martinez followed it with his fourth strikeout of the day (finished 0-5 with 5 K).

After Hector Ambriz was able to hold the Rockies scoreless in the 8th, Jose Veras pitched a perfect 9th to give the Astros a chance to win in the bottom half of the inning. It was nice to see Veras get back on track after his blown save on Friday.

In the 10th inning, Travis Blackley pitched himself into a small jam, but was able to get D.J. LeMahieu swinging on a pitch in the dirt to end the inning. Blackley allowed a 2-out single in the 11th, but got Troy  Tulowitzki out on a chopper back to the mound. Paul Clemens pitched a scoreless 12th inning to get the win.

The Astros will finish the home part of the 4-game series with the Rockies at 1:10 PM CT tomorrow. It’s Jordan Lyles going up against Jorge De La Rosa.

Thank you to everyone who fights for our country every day!