Angel Martinez hit his first career grand slam with two outs in the top of the 10th inning, and the visiting Cleveland Guardians stunned the Houston Astros 10-6 on Tuesday.
Martinez golfed a 1-1 sinker from Astros closer Josh Hader (5-2) into the first row in left field to plate Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez (intentional walk) and Carlos Santana (four-pitch walk).
The Astros pulled even at 6-6 in the eighth inning when Taylor Trammell produced an RBI double that scored Mauricio Dubon before Jose Altuve plated Trammell with an RBI single. The Astros rallied off Guardians right-hander Hunter Gaddis after stranding a pair of runners in scoring position against Cade Smith in the seventh.
Ramirez ignited a surprising ambush of Astros All-Star right-hander Hunter Brown with a two-run blast to right-center field with one out in the first. Ramirez followed Nolan Jones’ single with his 16th home run, a 378-foot drive off a 2-2 changeup from Brown.
Ramirez was in the middle of the Guardians’ three-run third inning when he reached via an intentional walk after Jones’ RBI double plated Brayan Rocchio and pushed the lead to 3-1. Two batters later, after Ramirez swiped second base, Daniel Schneemann delivered a two-run single that extended the Guardians’ advantage to 5-1.
Rocchio, whose double led off the third, added a two-out solo home run to right in the fourth that lifted Cleveland to a 6-1 lead. It marked the first homer of the season for Rocchio and saddled Brown with a season-high six earned runs.
The Astros began their climb back in the fifth inning. Guardians starter Joey Cantillo cruised through four innings, recording seven strikeouts before allowing Isaac Paredes (walk) and Cam Smith (single) to reach in succession to open the fifth. Matt Festa relieved Cantillo and surrendered a two-run double to Altuve that cut the lead to 6-3. Victor Caratini later added a sacrifice fly that scored Altuve and sliced the deficit to two runs.
The Guardians claimed a surprising series win over Houston after entering the three-game set mired in a 10-game skid. The Astros dropped back-to-back home contests for the first time since suffering a three-game sweep to the San Francisco Giants in their first homestand of the year.
