Gurriel stays hot, Verlander solid, Astros blank Nats 8-0

WASHINGTON (AP) — Yuli Gurriel went 3-for-4 with a homer, Justin Verlander pitched five scoreless innings and the Houston Astros beat the Washington Nationals 8-0 on Sunday.

Jose Altuve, Martin Maldonado and Chas McCormick also homered for the Astros. Gurriel finished the series 8-for-12 with two homers and four RBIs.

“I'm not surprised,” manager Dusty Baker said of Gurriel, who has raised his average to .248 during a five-game hitting streak. “Water seeks its own level. I wasn't worried about Yuli. He was probably more worried about himself than I was worried about him. Yuli's going to hit.”

A day after allowing 13 runs as Houston's 11-game winning streak ended, Astros pitchers returned to form, tossing their fourth shutout in seven games, a four-hitter kicked off by Verlander.

After taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning in his last start, Verlander (5-1) didn’t allow a hit Sunday until surrendering back-to-back singles with one out in the fifth and Houston up 2-0. Baker opted to leave him in and Verlander retired César Hernández on a popup before getting Juan Soto to ground out with his 107th pitch.

“He did a great job. He battled,” Baker said. “Specifically in the fifth. He had some tough hitters up there. Boy, that was the turning point in the game. Put us in a position to come back in, take a breather and score some more.”

Verlander struck out five and walked three in his in his seventh start since returning from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander was making his first start of the season on four days' rest and threw his most pitches since his no-hitter in September of 2019.

“You kind of go do something new and see how you respond, see how the elbow responds,” Verlander said. “I wouldn't be surprised if it gets a little sore, just the first time being...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Gurriel-stays-hot-Verlander-solid-Astros-blank-17174615.php