MLB

Houston Astros at Cleveland Guardians

· Major League Baseball
Houston Astros
88-73, 42-38 Away
Final
4 - 3
Cleveland Guardians
92-69, 50-30 Home

Justin Verlander earns his 262nd win as AL West champion Astros beat Guardians 4-3

Verlander (5-6), who gave up seven hits and struck out five without a walk, won for the second time in three starts and lowered his ERA to 5.48. It was the longest outing since May 29 for the right-hander, who missed two months with neck discomfort.

“I worked hard for this and it was probably the best I’ve felt since coming back,” the likely Hall of Famer said. “I’m realistic. I know I haven’t been as sharp as I need to be, but I feel like I’m inching in the right direction.”

José Ramírez hit his 39th homer and drove in three runs for the AL Central champion Guardians, moving within one home run of becoming the seventh player in major league history with 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season. He already has 41 steals this season.

“Ramírez is such an incredible hitter, you’ve got to tip your hat to him,” said Verlander, who is 24-24 with a 4.42 ERA in 57 career starts against Cleveland. “It wasn’t a bad pitch and he hit it out. It’s impressive.”

The Guardians’ defeat clinched home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs for the New York Yankees, who lost to the Pirates 9-4. Both teams have first-round byes.

Shawn Dubin worked a scoreless ninth for his second save. Houston will host either Detroit or Kansas City in the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday.

The 41-year-old Verlander ranks 40th in career victories and would be part of the rotation if he is chosen for Houston’s postseason roster, manager Joe Espada said.

“There was a real intention there tonight to show he can really deliver — and he did,” Espada said. “He threw the ball really, really well and even got to 97 (mph) to Ramírez.”

Verlander said he has not been told if he will be in uniform for the start of the playoffs.

“I don’t know, that’s a conversation with Joe that I’m sure we’ll have,” he said.

Zach Dezenzo had an RBI single in the first and Jon Singleton walked with the bases loaded during Houston’s three-run second inning. A throwing error by Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio plated the final two runs.

Ramírez hit a two-run homer in the first and had a sacrifice fly in the third. The six-time All-Star third baseman doubled in the eighth for his 1,500th career hit.

“It’s been an unbelievable year to watch Josey, so much fun,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “It will be fun to see what happens tomorrow.”

Guardians starter Ben Lively (13-10) pitched four innings, giving up two earned and two unearned runs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: OF Yordan Alvarez (right knee sprain) has been fitted with a brace and could resume baseball activities Sunday. Alvarez last appeared in a game on Sept. 22.

Guardians: RHP Alex Cobb (right third finger blister) reported no issues after a bullpen session at Progressive Field. He is scheduled to throw a simulated game Sunday.

UP NEXT

Astros RHP Ryan Gusto is likely to be promoted from the taxi squad and make his major league debut in the regular-season finale. Guardians RHP Gavin Williams (3-10, 4.86 ERA) will work as the bulk reliever behind RHP Nick Sandlin.

How can I watch Houston Astros vs. Cleveland Guardians?
  • TV Channel: Astros at Guardians 2022 MLB Baseball, is broadcasted on MLB.TV.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Guardians: 58.6%
Astros: 41.4%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

9th Inning Rocchio struck out looking.
9th Inning Noel struck out looking.
9th Inning Bo Naylor flied out to left.
9th Inning Dubin relieved Pressly
9th Inning Heyward lined into double play, right to first, Dezenzo doubled off first.
9th Inning Dezenzo reached on infield single to third.

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/mlb/500/hou.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originHOU https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/mlb/500/cle.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCLE
1 Games Played 1
1 Team Games Played 1
1 Hit By Pitch 0
9 Ground Balls 9
8 Strikeouts 9
2 Runs Batted In 3
0 Sacrifice Hit 0
9 Hits 9
0 Stolen Bases 0
5 Walks 0
0 Catcher Interference 0
4 Runs 3
0 Ground Into Double Play 0
0 Sacrifice Flies 1
36 At Bats 35
0 Home Runs 1
0 Grand Slam Home Runs 0
26 Runners Left On Base 14
0 Triples 0
0 Game Winning RBIs 0
0 Intentional Walks 0
3 Doubles 3
19 Fly Balls 18
0 Caught Stealing 0
166 Pitches 145
0 Games Started 0
0 Pinch At Bats 0
0 Pinch Hits 0
0.0 Player Rating 0.0
1 Is Qualified 1
0 Is Qualified In Steals 0
12 Total Bases 15
42 Plate Appearances 36
0.0 Projected Home Runs 162.0
3 Extra Base Hits 4
4.9 Runs Created 3.9
.250 Batting Average .257
.000 Pinch Hit Average .000
.333 Slugging Percentage .429
.222 Secondary Average .171
.357 On Base Percentage .250
.690 OBP Pct + SLG Pct .679
0.5 Ground To Fly Ball Ratio 0.5
4.9 Runs Created Per 27 Outs 3.9
27.0 Batter Rating 30.0
0.0 At Bats Per Home Run 35.0
0.00 Stolen Base Percentage 0.00
3.95 Pitches Per Plate Appearance 4.03
.083 Isolated Power .171
0.63 Walk To Strikeout Ratio 0.00
.119 Walks Per Plate Appearance .000
-.028 Secondary Average Minus Batting Average -.086
6.0 Runs Produced 6.0
0.5 Runs Ratio 1.0
0.4 Patience Ratio 0.4
0.3 Balls In Play Average 0.3
78.8 MLB Rating 80.5
0.0 Offensive Wins Above Replacement 0.0
0.0 Wins Above Replacement 0.0

Game Information

Progressive Field

Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 33,609 | Capacity:

2024 American League West Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Houston 88 73 .547 - W2
Seattle 85 77 .525 3.5 W4
Texas 78 84 .481 10.5 W3
Oakland 69 93 .426 19.5 L3
Los Angeles 63 99 .389 25.5 L6

2024 American League Central Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Cleveland 92 69 .571 - L2
Kansas City 86 76 .531 6.5 W1
Detroit 86 76 .531 6.5 L2
Minnesota 82 80 .506 10.5 L4
Chicago 41 121 .253 51.5 W2
Full Standings