HOUSTON (AP) - Toronto’s Aaron Loup gave up three hits in the seventh inning to allow the Houston Astros to rally for a 6-4 win on Thursday night.
But the reliever was more concerned about the walk he issued in that inning than the hits.
The Blue Jays were up by two runs in the seventh inning when Jason Castro singled off Loup (1-2). Chris Carter followed with a walk before rookie Preston Tucker’s RBI double brought the Astros within 4-3. Jonathan Villar’s groundball double down the right field line scored two more to give Houston the lead. The Blue Jays intentionally walked Jose Altuve with one out before he stole second and catcher Josh Thole’s error on the play allowed Villar to add an insurance run.
“I definitely don’t like to walk guys, especially in that situation in the game,” Loup said. “It was one where I didn’t go my job.”
Manager John Gibbons agreed that the walk was critical.
“It got away quick there in the bottom half (of the seventh),” Gibbons said. “That was the game. The walk (to Carter) hurt. That kind of set everything up.”
Loup’s blown save ruined a solid start by Drew Hutchison, who allowed five hits and two runs with a season-high nine strikeouts in six innings.
“We believe in him fully,” Hutchison said of Loup. “(Stuff) happens.”
Josh Fields (2-0) got the last two outs of the seventh for the win and Chad Qualls struck out one in a perfect ninth for his fourth save.
Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion hit back-to-back home runs to give Toronto a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Tucker, who entered the game 0 for 7, had the first multi-hit game of his short career and Altuve added two hits for Houston, which is tied with Kansas City for the AL’s best record at 22-13.
Houston starter Roberto Hernandez yielded six hits and four runs in 6 1-3 innings.
Bautista drilled a homer off the wall above the Crawford Boxes in left field to give Toronto a 1-0 lead with two outs. Encarnacion’s home run came three pitches later to give Toronto back-to-back homers for the first time this season.
Luis Valbuena cut the lead to 2-1 with an RBI double that landed on Tal’s Hill in center field with one out in the bottom of the inning before George Springer drew a walk. But Hutchison struck out Colby Rasmus and Castro to limit the damage.
Toronto’s Devon Travis drove in a run with a double in the third inning to make it 3-1.
Altuve doubled to start Houston’s sixth and scored on a groundout by Springer to get the Astros within 3-2.
The Blue Jays added a run on a sacrifice fly by Ezequiel Carrera in the seventh to make it 4-2.
Josh Donaldson singled in the eighth inning to extend his streak of reaching base safely against the Astros to 32 straight games, which is tied for the longest streak against one team in the majors.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: The Astros placed LHP Brett Oberholtzer on the 15-day DL on Wednesday night after activating him from the DL earlier in the day. He started the season on the DL because of a blister on his left index finger and aggravated the injury in his start. Reliever Jake Buchanan was recalled from Triple-A Fresno on Thursday to take his spot on the roster. Hinch said he will decide in the upcoming days if they will go with a four-man rotation while Oberholtzer is out or if they will decide on a fifth starter.
UP NEXT
Houston’s Dallas Keuchel looks to improve to 5-0 when he opposes R.A. Dickey in the second game of this four-game series on Friday night. Keuchel, who has a 1.39 ERA, has won a career-high six straight decisions dating to last season. Dickey has had a tough start to the season, going 1-4 with a 5.00 ERA.
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