Singleton, Late Rally Help Houston Astros Win 6-3
Jon Singleton has been performing pretty well at first base for the Houston Astros this season and his three-hit day on Thursday was pivotal. Singleton’s RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning broke a 2-2 tie, leading the Astros to a 6-3 win over the Oakland A’s at Minute Maid Park.
Singleton totaled three hits for the Astros in support of starting pitcher Framber Valdez’s outing. Valdez struck out six, allowing five hits and one run in 6 1/3 innings of work. He kept Oakland hitters off-balance with a mixture of his curveball and slider. When Valdez is snapping those pitches off effectively, opposing hitters pretty much are left to mutter to themselves.
Clutch Offense Paces Houston Astros
Besides Singleton’s three-hit day, outfielder Jason Heyward smoked his first home run as an Astro in the second inning. Heyward took a Mitch Spence pitch that he tried getting on the inside third of home plate. Well, it didn’t pan out that way. Heyward, who signed with the Houston Astros after being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, sent Spence’s pitch over the right-field wall for a 2-0 Astros lead.
With the Astros up 2-1, A’s slugger Brent Rooker homered off Astros reliever Ryan Pressly (2-3) in the eighth inning to tie things up at 2-2. Then, the Astros’ offense flexed its muscles in the nick of time. Yanier Diaz and Kyle Tucker, who had some of his best at-bats since coming back from the injured list, smacked back-to-back singles off A’s reliever T.J. McFarland (2-3). Grant Holman came on for Oakland and Singleton took one of his pitches to center field, scoring Diaz for a 3-2 Astros lead.
“He has contributed immensely,” Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said of Singleton’s play. “Big hits, he gives you a quality at-bat, finds the barrel, the ability to walk. Jon has done a really, really good job.”
