Gurriel walks it off again, Astros win second straight

With Michael Brantley on second base, Yuli Gurriel delivers for the second straight game with a walk off hit to give the Astros the win.

In Friday night’s game, Yuli Gurriel hit a solo home run to give the Astros the win in the bottom of the 10th inning, and he did it again Saturday night, this time with a walk-off double. The Astros won the game 6-5.

Two days in a row, and both times in the bottom of the 10th, Gurriel came up with a chance to win the game for the Astros, and he delivered. He is the first Astro since Geoff Blum in 2009 to have back-to-back walk-off hits, and the first since Craig Biggio in 1991 to do it both times in extra innings.

Justin Verlander gave up a two-run home run in the top off the second inning to put the Astros in the hole 2-0. However, Houston would explode for five runs in the bottom half of the inning. He would later leave after the fifth, giving up four runs on five hits.

The Mariners cut the lead to one run, so the Astros brought in Ryan Pressly in the seventh inning to hold things down. However, he would give up a solo homer, which tied the game. Collin McHugh, Roberto Osuna and Chris Devenski all held Seattle scoreless, which gave Gurriel the chance to be the hero once again.

Brantley started things off in the 10th with a single up the middle. He would then go to second base on a wild pitch, giving the Astros had a runner in scoring position with no outs.

On a 2-0 count, Gurriel hit a ball to the warning track in center field, and Brantley scored easily from second base. Each walk-off hit for Gurriel was his only hit of the game, but it came when the Astros needed it the most.

It’s been a rough stretch for the team lately, but Gurriel has stepped up in key situations. He also homered in the Bronx to help snap the team’s seven-game skid and seems to have a knack for being clutch.