Field Level Media
Jun 26, 2018
Charlie Morton twirled seven shutout innings while Jake Marisnick delivered at the plate and in the field in the Houston Astros' 7-0 win over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park.
Morton (10-1) became the first member of the Houston staff to reach double digits in wins, reclaiming the form that highlighted his sensational start to this season.
After scuffling with his command for three consecutive starts, Morton displayed a masterful control of his repertoire, issuing just two walks while surrendering four hits -- all singles -- and recording 13 strikeouts.
Morton set the tone by striking out the side in the first inning, throwing just two pitches out of the strike zone in the process.
The Blue Jays recorded their first hit with two outs in the fifth inning when Russell Martin lined a sharp single to left field. Randal Grichuk followed with another single, but Morton induced a groundball out from shortstop Aledmys Diaz.
When Morton ran into a spot of trouble in the sixth, Marisnick bailed him out with a spectacular leaping catch against the fence fronting the visiting bullpen in left-center.
Morton had allowed a pair of two-out baserunners before Marisnick ran down a fly ball from Toronto first baseman Justin Smoak, perfectly timing his run from center and his leap before making the grab over left fielder Josh Reddick, who also fashioned a leaping attempt at the ball.
Marisnick added a three-run homer off Blue Jays right-hander Preston Guilmet in the eighth, igniting a five-run frame. It was his sixth home run this season.
Blue Jays left-hander Ryan Borucki (0-1) pitched effectively in his big league debut.
While the Astros generated traffic throughout his six innings of work, Borucki routinely wiggled out of danger.
In the second and third innings, he coaxed inning-ending ground balls from Brian McCann and Evan Gattis, both with two runners on. But Gattis delivered in the fifth.
After Alex Bregman, who clubbed his 13th homer in the eighth, and Jose Altuve doubled and walked in succession for a second consecutive time, Gattis rolled a two-run single to center field to give Houston a 2-0 lead.
Borucki allowed two runs on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts.
--Field Level Media