HOUSTON — Framper Valdez preserved a five-run lead after a strong first inning by Houston, while Alex Bregman homered, and the Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 on Saturday to get one win apiece in the World Series.
Just like in Game 1, the Astros jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Unlike Justin Verlander, Valdez was careful not to waste it.
The Dominican bounced back from two bad starts in last year’s Fall Classic and went scoreless until the seventh inning. The bullpen survived a couple of jams to hold on for the win.
Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena and Yordon Alvarez each contributed doubles for Houston, which took a two-run lead on four pitches by Jack Wheeler. An error allowed another run in the first inning, and Bregman added a two-run homer in the fifth.
A day later, Philadelphia looked for a similar reaction, going 5-0 in 10 innings to win 5-4.
The Phillies trailed by four when Kyle Schwarber blasted a runner to right field in the eighth off Rafael Montero. In the first, right fielder James Hoye hit a home run.
From the start, his colleague Tripp Gibson signaled that there should be a conference. After this, when it was determined that the ball had gone towards the wrong post, the original result was reversed.
Schwarber, who led the NL in homers this season, then hit another long drive that ricocheted off the right field fence.
Despite giving up a run on an error by Cuban first baseman Yuli Gurriel, Ryan Pressley finished with a combined six-hit effort.
After splitting the honors in Houston, the Astros and Phillies resume the series Monday night at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, hosting the October Classic for the first time since 2009.
For the Phillies, Jean Segura went 3-1 with an RBI. Panama player Edmundo Sosa 2-0.
For the Astros, Venezuelan Jose Altuve scored a run to make it 4-3. Dominican Jeremy Pena went 4-1 with a run and an RBI. Cuba’s Yordon Alvarez 3-1 with two runs scored, RBI’s Yuli Kuriel 4-0, Aledmis Diaz 3-0. Puerto Rican Martin Maldonado is 3-0.
