Morrow, Blue Jays stop Astros 7-3

Thanks to ESPN2 Astros fans were finally able to watch their team play on TV. Thanks to Brandon Morrow, we were almost wishing we were still blacked out.

Morrow struck out Dexter Fowler, Alex Presley, and Jason Castro to start the game and Astros starter Lucas Harrell gave up two first inning runs. That pretty much set the tone for how tonight’s game would play out.

(Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)

Morrow struck out nine Astros through the first five innings, allowing only three base runners and keeping Houston off the scoreboard. The Blue Jays would extend their lead in the bottom of the fifth when Astros 3B Matt Dominguez turned what looked like an inning ending double-play ball into a 2-run throwing error. That play would send Lucas Harrell to the showers with his second loss of the year waiting to become official.

Morrow seemed to lose something off his fastball in the sixth inning and the Astros took advantage. Fowler led off the inning with a base hit up the middle and Presley followed with a line drive homer to right-center. Jose Altuve would later triple and come around to score on a Chris Carter groundout making the score 5-3. It was nice to see the team keep playing hard but that was as close as it would get.

A hanging breaking ball from Josh Zeid to a slumping Brett Lawrie in the seventh would result in a 2-run homer and extend the lead to 7-3.

Jays’ reliever Neil Wagner came in throwing like Billy Wagner (only Toronto’s Wagner is a righty) and set the Astros down in order in both the seventh and the eighth. Marc Krauss got his second hit of the night (and the season) in the ninth to save face but this one was already a laugher.