Toronto Blue Jays' Kevin Kiermaier, left, George Springer, center, and Daulton Varsho celebrate the team's win over the Houston Astros in a baseball game Tuesday, April 18, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
HOUSTON – Matt Chapman had a home run and a double to extend his hot start to the season and Chris Bassitt carried a shutout in the seventh inning as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Houston Astros 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Bassitt (2-2) held the Astros in check for 6 1/3 innings, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out five. The 34-year-old right-hander didn’t allow a hit until José Abreu singled with two out in the fourth inning.
The outing was a solid turnaround for Bassitt, who had given up 13 runs in 15 1/3 innings in his first three starts. He benefited from newfound run support that wasn’t there over the previous two games.
Toronto slugged two solo home runs off Astros starter José Urquidy in the fourth inning. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his third homer of the season, sending a 94 mph four-seam fastball a few rows deep into the right field seats over the head of Kyle Tucker. Chapman followed, hitting his fifth homer of the season to nearly the same spot in right, but six feet further.
Chapman has opened the season on a tear. He entered Tuesday with 12 extra-base hits and was with Tampa Bay’s Wander Franco the major league lead. He added two more on Tuesday with the homer and a double in the sixth.
Urquidy got into more trouble in the fifth. He walked the leadoff hitter and allowed singles to three of the next four hitters, falling behind 4-0 before being lifted.
Urquidy (1-1) allowed four runs and seven hits while walking two and striking out four in 4 1/3 innings. It was a rough start for Urquidy, who had given up just four runs through 15 1/3 innings in his first three starts.
Houston finally got on the board in the eighth inning with a pair of RBI singles from Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker.
With two outs and two on, Tucker appeared to foul a pitch off his right knee area and was on the ground in apparent pain for more than a minute. Astros manager Dusty Baker left Tucker in, and he delivered a single to right that made it 4-2. But, closer Jordan Romano entered and retired Jeremy Peña to end the inning.
Romano earned his seventh save of the season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Houston: OF Chas McCormick was placed on the 10-day injured list after hurting his back on Sunday. The Astros called up IF Rylan Bannon from Triple-A Sugar Land as the corresponding move.
UP NEXT
In the finale of the three-game series on Wednesday, Houston RHP Luis Garcia (0-2, 7.71 ERA) is scheduled to square off against Toronto RHP José BerrÃos (1-2, 7.98 ERA).
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