This year’s Major League Baseball Civil Rights game proved to be a low-scoring pitcher’s duel as the Houston Astros prevailed 2-1 over the Baltimore Orioles.
With the win the Astros pick up their seventh straight victory. This is their longest winning streak since 2010.
Starter Brett Oberholtzer went seven innings, giving up one run on four hits and notching his second win of the year. Closer Chad Qualls entered the game in the eighth and recorded the four-out save.
Baltimore struck first with an RBI single by shortstop J.J. Hardy in the top of the second inning. The Orioles held a 1-0 lead until the bottom of the seventh when the Astros rallied and put two runs across.
Third baseman Matt Dominguez got the inning started with a double. Three batters later, Left fielder Robbie Grossman doubled to left to drive in Dominguez and tie the game. Shortstop Jonathan Villar was the next batter, and he smacked a ground-rule double that scored Grossman.
“For [Grossman and Villar] to be the two offensive heroes, it definitely feels good,” Astros manager Bo Porter said in his postgame press conference on mlb.com. “They’ve been working extremely hard and to be able to come through for the team tonight especially with two outs, that’s what teamwork is all about.”
Following Villar’s double, Baltimore starter Miguel Gonzalez was taken out of the game; he suffered the loss with a line of 6 2/3 innings, two runs and five hits.
In the top of the eighth, the Orioles got runners on first and second but were unable to tie the game or take the lead.
Houston rookie right fielder George Springer saw his 11-game hit streak come to an end with an 0-for-4 night. Prior to this game, he had belted seven home runs in his previous seven games, reports ESPN.
Game three of the four-game series is Saturday at 4:10 p.m.
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