 with no outs in the ninth and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Then with one out in the inning, Bregman sent a fastball to left field, where it bounced off the wall above the Crawford Boxes, to give Houston the victory.Bregman also doubled twice on Wednesday after hitting a homer and doubling three times in a win on Tuesday night.Will Harris (3-3) allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth for the win.After the Blue Jays took a 5-0 lead in the first, Houston scored three in the bottom of the first to close the gap and got within one Evan Gattis' RBI double in the fifth. But Kevin Pillar singled and scored on an error in the sixth to make it 6-4.Marwin Gonzalez snapped an 0 for 23 slump with a solo shot to the bullpen in right-center off Tyler Clippard with two outs in the eighth inning to cut the lead to one.The Blue Jays jumped on Keuchel immediately a day after being shut out for the fifth time this season in a 7-0 loss. Randal Grichuk hit a leadoff double followed by a walk by Teoscar Hernandez. Yangervis Solarte made it 1-0 with an RBI double before Keuchel walked Steve Pearce.Hernandez scored on a sacrifice fly by Kendrys Morales before Pillar made it 3-0 with a run-scoring single.Another RBI single, this one on a grounder by Aledmys Diaz, pushed the lead to 4-0 before Luke Maile's sacrifice fly made it 5-0.Toronto starter Marco Estrada allowed seven hits and four runs - three earned - in five innings.Keuchel, the 2015 AL Cy Young Award Winner who hadn't allowed an earned run in his past two starts, gave up seven hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings.Evan Gattis doubled twice and drove in three runs to give him 30 RBIs this month, which is a franchise record for RBIs in June.Keuchel settled down after his terrible first inning, allowing just one baserunner over the next four innings. But Pillar, who singled in the third inning, hit another single with one out in the sixth before a single by Diaz.Keuchel walked Maile to load the bases and Toronto extended the lead to 6-4 when Devon Travis reached and Pillar scored on an error by Jose Altuve.TRAINER'S ROOMAstros: SS Carlos Correa sat out for the second straight day with a sore back. Manager A. J. Hinch said the problem isn't serious but he wants to give him time to rest. ... RHP Joe Smith (right elbow inflammation) threw a bullpen on Wednesday and will likely begin a rehabilitation assignment this weekend.UP NEXTBlue Jays: Toronto is off on Thursday before opening a four-game series against the Tigers on Friday with Marcus Stroman (0-5, 6.80 ERA) on the mound. Stroman allowed six hits in five scoreless innings in his return from the disabled list in his previous start.Astros: Lance McCullers (8-3, 3.82) will start for Houston in the first of four games at Tampa on Thursday night. McCullers allowed four hits and three runs while fanning nine in six innings in his previous outing.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
TICKETSTICKETSAstros' Correa to return in series finale vs. Blue Jays 1h ago• 2 min read HOUSTON -- With shortstop Carlos Correa battling what was described as back stiffness, Astros manager A. J. Hinch opted to keep Correa out of the lineup Tuesday against Toronto.Correa, batting .268 with 13 home runs and 49 RBIs, missed his eighth game of the season. Hinch is an advocate of resting his primary regulars and with Houston playing a day game Wednesday following their 7-0 victory Tuesday night, he opted to give Correa a break with the club also facing a grueling stretch of play over the coming weeks."We're playing 23 out of 24 days. We're in the midst of the grind of the season before the All-Star break and I'm always looking for a day off," Hinch said. "We've talked about rest for the better part of the last couple of weeks. There's another day coming probably for him and there's probably another day off for George (Springer), maybe even one for Jose (Altuve) before the break. All of that added up, it made for an easy (decision) not to play him." Left-hander Dallas Keuchel (4-8, 3.90 ERA) will start the series finale for the Astros (53-28).Keuchel posted his second consecutive start without allowing an earned run on June 22 against the Kansas City Royals, surrendering six hits and two walks with six strikeouts over six innings. He is 3-0 with a 3.62 ERA over four career starts against the Blue Jays, last facing Toronto on May 15, 2015, and allowing four runs on eight hits and three walks over six innings in an 8-4 home victory.Right-hander Marco Estrada (4-7, 4.48 ERA) will start the rubber match for Toronto (37-42). Estrada has pitched exceptionally this month, going 2-1 with a 1.75 ERA and 26 strikeouts over four starts and 25 2/3 innings while limiting opposing batters to a .510 OPS. He is 2-0 with a 2.96 ERA over 12 career appearances (six starts) against Houston.Blue Jays All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson experienced a setback while rehabbing the left calf injury that landed him on the 10-day disabled list May 29. Donaldson was preparing to play in a rehab game in Florida and sustained an injury while taking ground balls. An MRI revealed an acute strain of the left calf, and Donaldson will be re-evaluated in three weeks.Donaldson was trending toward a return to action, perhaps as soon as this weekend against the Detroit Tigers. He has suffered through a largely lost season, logging 36 games with five home runs and 16 RBIs. Donaldson missed his 25th consecutive game Tuesday and 43rd overall this season, with the Blue Jays dropping to 21-22 without him in their lineup.Donaldson, a free agent following the season, could be a trade chip at the non-waiver deadline next month, but his injury situation leaves that immediate future murky at best."The previous week we thought there was a chance," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "He was moving along fine and then something happened. What are you going to do?"It's been a frustrating year for him. He's actually hanging in there OK considering. But he's frustrated."
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