Pence hits two-run homer, Rodriguez goes 6 innings as Astros edge Blue Jays 3-2

Hunter Pence hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning and left-hander Wandy Rodriguez pitched six strong innings as the Houston Astros defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Sunday.

Juan Rivera and J.P. Arencibia homered for Toronto, which lost the rubber match of a three-game interleague series.

The Blue Jays are 116-134 in interleague play since it was introduced in 1997.

Toronto starter Kyle Drabek (3-3) allowed eight hits, three walks and three runs in six innings.

Rodriguez (3-3) also went six innings and held Toronto to six hits and two runs on the solo homers.

Mark Melancon pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for Houston, leaving the bases loaded in the ninth, to pick up his third save of the season and his second of the series.

The Blue Jays (23-23) had a glimmer of hope on Yunel Escobar’s two-out infield single in the ninth. Mike McCoy ran for him, Corey Patterson followed with a double to right and Jose Bautista was walked intentionally.

But Aaron Hill grounded out to end the game.

Houston (17-30) used singles by Michael Bourn, Angel Sanchez and Brett Wallace to score a run in the third.

Wallace’s two-out single on a full count scored the run.

Wallace and Drabek both came to Toronto with catcher Travis d’Arnaud in December of 2009 when pitching ace Roy Halladay was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Blue Jays actually got outfielder Michael Taylor from the Phillies as the third player in the deal but flipped him to the Oakland Athletics for Wallace. Last July, Wallace was traded to Houston for centre-fielder prospect Anthony Gose.

Rivera tied the game with his two-out homer in the bottom of the third.

The Astros regained the lead in the fifth when Pence followed Sanchez’s single with his sixth homer of the season, a drive to left on a 1-0 cutter.

Arencibia led off the bottom of the sixth with his eighth homer of the season on a first-pitch fastball to cut Houston’s lead to one.

Wilton Lopez replaced Rodriguez in the seventh and walked his first batter, Escobar. But Patterson fouled out to the catcher and Bautista hit a hard grounder to third baseman Chris Johnson who started the inning-ending double play.

Lopez walked Rivera with one out in the eighth and was replaced by Melancon when the count reached 2-1 on Arencibia, who struck out as did Rajai Davis to end the inning.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today