Astros Beat Diamondbacks 3-1, Four Games Over .500 for First Time All Season

The Astros beat the Diamondbacks 3-1 Friday night at Daikin Park, and for the first time this season, Houston is four games over .500. Arizona came in holding onto a playoff spot by a thread, so this was a big one for them. But Cristian Javier had other plans. Javier's had a tough go this year. A shoulder strain kept him out for months, and he still hasn't looked like his old self since coming back. Matching his season high Friday is a good sign for him and the rotation. Diaz got things going for the Astros in the third. He crushed a home run into the Crawford Boxes, his 11th of the season, putting Houston on the board, 1-0. Peña and Alvarez both got on base with Paredes on deck. Paredes ripped one down the line for a double, bringing Peña home and sending Alvarez to third, 2-0. Altuve followed with a sac fly to left, and Alvarez came home to make it 3-0. Arizona answered back in the fourth. Gabriel Moreno hit a solo home run to make it a two-run game, 3-1. Bennett Sousa came on and found himself in a bases-loaded jam in the sixth, but he got out of it, getting Nolan Arenado to ground into a double play to end the threat. Peña made a heads-up defensive play in the eighth, fielding a grounder from Marte, tagging Moreno before he could make it back to second, then firing to first in time to get Marte too, a great double play that helped set up Bryan Abreu. Josh Hader came in for the ninth and got the job done again, his 23rd save of the season, and his 250th career save. Pitching's been carrying this team lately, which is shocking, considering it's been a weak spot for a good chunk of the season. Seven of the last nine games, they've held the other team to three runs or fewer. A crucial shift for this team. The Astros are four games over .500 for the first time all year. Not bad for a team that's been up and down all season. They'll look to keep it going Saturday, with Ethan Pecko taking on Brandon Pfaadt in the second game of the series. Best Newest first Oldest first