.Andre Scrubb (1-0) walked one in a scoreless 11th for the win.The Astros wrapped up a 7-1 homestand after losing five in a row.''This does a lot for our confidence,'' Baker said. ''We've still got a couple of guys that we've got to get going, but we've some guys swinging better, playing better and we've gotten outstanding defense and good pitching.'' The Rockies have dropped five of their last six.Raimel Tapia hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th to put Colorado up 1-0. A sacrifice fly by Kyle Tucker scored Alex Bregman and tied it in the bottom of the 10th.The eight innings matched a career high for Senzatela, who last got through eight on May 26, 2017, against St. Louis. And he's just the third pitcher in Rockies history to pitch eight or more scoreless innings and not get a win.''That was one of the best games I've seen him throw from start to finish,'' manager Bud Black said. ''When you go eight innings on the road against a very good team and you're going head to head with Zack Greinke and you're matching him, it's pretty special stuff.'' Enoli Paredes struck out two in the ninth for Houston and Daniel Bard struck out one in the ninth to send it to the 10th.Greinke allowed two singles in the first inning and Charlie Blackmon singled to start the fourth, but still faced the minimum in that inning after Nolan Arenado grounded into a double play.Grienke didn't allow a baserunner after that, sailing through the next four innings with the help of several groundouts. He finished his outing strong when Tapia grounded out to start the eighth before Greinke struck out Ryan McMahon and Sam Hilliard on just seven pitches to end his day.Greinke has walked just four batters this season and said that has been an important factor in his success at age 36.''Since the first start I've been locating really well and that's why I've been able to have some success,'' he said. ''Stuff isn't amazing anymore, but it's OK and if I can locate that helps out.'' Senzatela didn't allow a hit until a single by Bregman with two outs in the fourth inning. Yuli Gurriel followed with a single, but Tucker grounded into a forceout to end the inning.The Astros got a single from Straw with one out in the sixth and he stole second base. But he was left stranded when Senzatela retired Josh Reddick and Bregman to end the inning.That was the first of eight straight batters Senzatela retired to wrap up his outing.TRAINER'S ROOMRockies: CF David Dahl was scratched from Tuesday's lineup because of tightness in his lower back. He was replaced Hilliard.Astros: Houston placed DH Yordan Alvarez on the injured list with right knee discomfort retroactive to Sunday. Alvarez, last year's AL Rookie of the Year, missed the beginning of the season after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and played just two games before he was shelved again because of the knee problem. ... OF George Springer was scratched from Tuesday's lineup because of soreness in his right wrist. Springer was injured sliding on Monday night. ... Baker said Tuesday that right-hander Justin Verlander played catch on Monday for the first time since he was injured and felt good. Verlander has been on the injured list since July 25 with a strained right forearm.EXTRA EXTRAThe Astros lead the majors with six extra-inning games this season. Houston hasn't fared well in those games and Tuesday was just the team's second victory in extras.UP NEXTHouston's Framber Valdez (1-2, 1.90) opposes Ryan Castellani (0-0, 1.04) when this series moves to Denver for two games starting on Wednesday night.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
With Astros' rotation rolling, Greinke faces RockiesAs the debilitating injuries mounted within their pitching staff, the Houston Astros appeared resigned to having to rely solely on their stout lineup to keep them competitive.Lately, however, the Astros' patchwork rotation has exceeded expectations. In the opener of a four-game home-and-home interleague set with the Colorado Rockies on Monday, rookie right-hander Brandon Bielak kept the line moving, allowing just one run and one hit in six innings of a 2-1 victory in Houston.Houston starters have posted a 1.68 ERA over the past 11 games, working at least five innings in 10 of those starts while allowing one earned run or none eight times. That collective performance has enabled what was a beleaguered bullpen to settle in, and the results have been positive."I'm knocking on wood that we can keep getting that good starting pitching," Astros manager Dusty Baker said.With veteran closer Ryan Pressly having worked in consecutive games over the weekend against the Seattle Mariners, Baker turned to rookie left-hander Blake Taylor to close out the win against Colorado.Taylor turned 25 on Monday and relied on what he called "birthday magic" to survive the heart of the Rockies' order. After Charlie Blackmon led off the inning with a single, Taylor retired Nolan Arenado, Daniel Murphy and Raimel Tapia to end the game."You've got to face Blackmon, Arenado and Murphy," Baker said. "That's not how you would have drawn up a young man's first save, facing a murderer's row like that." Right-hander Zack Greinke (1-0, 2.53 ERA) gets the starting nod for the Astros on Tuesday. He notched his first victory this season in his previous start, allowing one run on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings in a 5-1 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.That outing marked the second consecutive quality start for Greinke, who went 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA over five starts against the Rockies in 2019. He is 14-7 with a 3.66 ERA over 35 career appearances (34 starts) against Colorado, his highest win total against any opponent.Right-hander Antonio Senzatela (3-0, 3.91 ERA) will pitch for the Rockies on Tuesday in what will be his fifth start of the season and first-everappearance against the Astros.Senzatela did not factor in the decision in his last outing, a 13-7 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in which he allowed a season-high five runs on nine hits with four strikeouts over six innings. He is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two interleague starts this season and 5-4 with a 5.46 ERA over 11 career interleague starts.The Rockies have dropped six of eight games following a rousing start to the season, and their schedule doesn't get any easier with three more games against the Astros, including two at Coors Field on Wednesday and Thursday.Then come seven more games on the road trip: three games against the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers and four vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks.The Dodgers enter Tuesday leading the NL in run differential at plus-62. Arizona defeated the Oakland A's on Monday after sweeping the San Diego Padres over the weekend. The Diamondbacks have won five straight overall."This part of the schedule, we're playing good teams," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "The Astros are a very good team, the Dodgers are a good team, the Diamondbacks have now gained some momentum lately, they're starting to swing the bats. So this will be a good test for us, for sure." --Field Level Media
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