ALDS; Astros Up 2-0, Rays Get Even

UNDATED (AP) – The Houston Astros are one win away from reach the American League Championship Series for the fourth straight year. Not bad for a team that finished two games under .500 during the truncated regular season.  George Springer homered twice and the Astros grabbed a 2-0 lead in the AL Division Series by downing the Oakland Athletics, 5-2. Springer put Houston ahead to stay with a two-run blast in the third inning.  The Astros closed the scoring on back-to-back solo shots by Martin Maldonado and Springer in the fifth. Framber Valdez shook off solo homers by Khris Davis and Chad Pinder to get the win, allowing just three other hits over seven innings.  Losing pitcher Sean Manaea was pulled after Maldonado’s homer, charged with four runs over 4 1/3 innings.  The Astros can complete the sweep on Wednesday.
The Rays were able to even their AL Division Series at a game apiece despite two more long home runs by Giancarlo Stanton. Randy Arozarena, Mike Zunino, Manuel Margot and Austin Meadows hit home runs for Tampa Bay in a 7-5 downing of the New York Yankees.  Rays pitchers compiled 18 strikeouts, with Tyler Glasnow setting a team-record with 10 while allowing four runs and just three hits over five innings. Glasnow was twice victimized by Stanton, who has three home runs in the series and five in his last four postseason games.  The Rays knocked around J.A. Happ, who entered for Deivi Garcia in the second inning. Happ surrendered Zunino’s two-run shot off the facade of the second deck in left with two outs in the second for a 2-1 lead. Happ also served up Manuel Margot’s two-run homer to straightaway center with one out in the third, making it 5-1 and allowing Tampa Bay to withstand Stanton’s three-run blast.