Astros bounce back in Game 2, even World Series with Braves

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON — Jose Siri launched himself headfirst into location plate, popped up with arms flexed and screamed with each his might.

Welcome to the World Series, rook.

The vocation insignificant leaguer sparked a squad whose biggest stars took a portion to shine, sending the Houston Astros to a 7-2 triumph implicit the Atlanta Braves connected Wednesday nighttime that evened the Fall Classic astatine 1 crippled apiece.

Jose Altuve doubled early, homered precocious and scored doubly to interruption retired astatine the plate. Siri’s velocity and assertive play created havoc connected the bases, starring to a four-run 2nd inning that helped the Astros drawback a five-game skid astatine location successful the World Series.

It’s the archetypal clip they’ve won a World Series crippled successful Houston since a 13-12 triumph implicit the Dodgers successful 10 innings successful Game 5 connected Oct. 29, 2017.

Altuve deed a leadoff treble and scored successful the archetypal inning earlier adding a solo homer successful the seventh arsenic the October-tested Astros rolled past the abruptly sloppy Braves.

José Urquidy gave the Astros 5 coagulated innings for his 2nd vocation World Series triumph and Houston’s bullpen – already truthful important this postseason – did the rest.

“I was precise focused,” said Urquidy, a rookie erstwhile helium bushed Washington successful the 2019 Fall Classic. “I emotion it. I emotion the feeling.”

The best-of-seven bid shifts to Atlanta for the archetypal of 3 games Friday night, with Ian Anderson scheduled to transportation for the Braves against rookie Luis Garcia.

The Astros jumped connected Atlanta starter Max Fried for 7 hits and six runs – 5 earned – successful five-plus innings.

The crippled was tied, 1-1, erstwhile Kyle Tucker got things going successful the 2nd with a one-out azygous earlier advancing to 3rd connected a azygous by Yuli Gurriel. The speedy Siri, who made his large league debut Sept. 3, past bushed retired an infield azygous to people Tucker and enactment the Astros connected top.

That made Siri the archetypal subordinate to debut successful September oregon aboriginal and thrust successful a tally successful that year’s World Series.

Hey Siri: How does that feel?

Martín Maldonado grounded a azygous to near fielder Eddie Rosario that scored Gurriel.

The usually fundamentally dependable Braves past misplayed things each around. Rosario threw to an unoccupied 3rd basal and the shot rolled into foul territory, allowing Siri to dash location connected the error.

“We conscionable benignant of got caught successful betwixt a small bit,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said.

Siri stood astatine the sheet soaking successful a infinitesimal helium thought mightiness ne'er come.

Stuck successful the minors since 2013, the excitable 26-year-old outfielder is present a World Siri. Before Wednesday helium was astir known for astir knocking implicit 72-year-old manager Dusty Baker en way to celebrating a teammate’s postseason exploits.

The crowd, truthful quiescent a nighttime before, roared arsenic Siri bounded toward the dugout. A instrumentality successful the little platform displayed a motion that read: “Don’t Poke The Bear” arsenic the Astros rediscovered their potent discourtesy aft Tuesday night’s dud of a 6-2 loss.

The Braves had a sojourn astatine the mound to effort and regroup aft that fiasco of a play but Fried threw a chaotic transportation soon aft it ended to nonstop Maldonado to third. There were 2 outs successful the inning erstwhile Michael Brantley singled to close field, pumping his fist arsenic helium near the batter’s container to nonstop different tally location that made it 5-1.

Urquidy permitted six hits and 2 runs portion striking retired 7 and walking nary to rebound from a clunker successful Game 3 of the AL Championship Series erstwhile helium allowed 5 runs portion getting conscionable 5 outs against Boston.

Altuve’s leadoff treble got things going for the Astros a time aft the prima 2nd baseman went 0 for 5 successful the archetypal three-strikeout crippled of his postseason career. He precocious to 3rd connected a alert shot by Brantley earlier scoring connected Alex Bregman’s sacrifice alert to marque it 1-0.

Urquidy got disconnected to a overmuch amended commencement than teammate Framber Valdez did successful Game 1. It was a debased bar, though, aft Valdez was rocked for a leadoff homer by Jorge Soler connected Tuesday night.

Urquidy struck retired his archetypal 2 batters earlier allowing consecutive singles to Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley. Soler past came to the plate, and the right-hander avoided the first-inning occupation Valdez got into erstwhile helium fanned the large designated hitter to flight the jam.

Travis d’Arnaud homered for Atlanta successful the 2nd to necktie it astatine 1-all. Dansby Swanson singled, but Gurriel grabbed Rosario’s liner to archetypal basal for the 3rd out.

An RBI azygous by Freddie Freeman chopped the pb to 5-2 successful the fifth.

“Obviously, you privation to triumph two. But if you get retired of present with a split, past that’s a bully happening going home,” Snitker said.

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García pitched no-hit shot into the sixth inning during his past commencement successful Game 6 of the ALCS to pb the Astros to the win. Anderson allowed 1 tally successful 4 innings of a commencement successful Game 6 of the NLCS.