Carter powers Astros past Blue Jays
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Chris Carter clubbed a three-run home run as part of a four-run first, and the Houston Astros held off the Toronto Blue Jays, 8-6, Saturday in the third tilt of a four-game set at Rogers Centre.
Jason Castro added an RBI single in the early outburst, while Justin Maxwell and Matt Dominguez stroked back-to-back homers in the fourth to help the Astros snap a three-game skid.
Dallas Keuchel (5-5) pitched into the eighth to notch the victory, giving up six runs on 10 hits while striking out six over 7 1/3 innings.
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Jose Bautista belted a three-run homer, Mark DeRosa and Colby Rasmus each hit a solo shot, and Edwin Encarnacion went 4-for-4 with an RBI for the Blue Jays, who had lost seven straight before taking the first two games of this set.
Toronto starter Josh Johnson (1-7) was handed his fifth straight loss after yielding seven runs on seven hits and two walks over 5 2/3 frames. Johnson, who hasn't won since June 23, struck out eight in the setback.
"He's scuffling...that's an understatement," Jays manager John Gibbons said of Johnson. "He's human. You feel for the guy."
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The Astros jumped on Johnson early, pushing four runs across in their first turn at-bat.
Castro capped a string of three straight singles with a run-scoring base hit to right before Carter provided the big blow of the frame, launching a first-pitch fastball over the center-field wall to give Houston an early 4-0 cushion.
"It was just a fastball down," Carter said of the pitch he hit over the fence. "I was trying to get the ball in the air with a runner on third."
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Encarnacion stroked an RBI single to center in the home half to get the Jays on the board before DeRosa led off the bottom of the second with a blast over the wall in left to bring the Blue Jays within 4-2.
Maxwell and Dominguez helped restore Houston's four-run lead in the fourth when they crushed consecutive homers for a 6-2 lead.
Rasmus led off the home fifth with a blast to right, but the Astros quickly countered in the sixth when Maxwell was hit by a pitch with two outs, stole second, and scored on a Dominguez single to make it 7-3.
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Houston manufactured another run in the seventh, as Jonathan Villar worked a leadoff walk before stealing second and third. With two outs and runners on the corners, Brett Wallace singled to right to score Villar for an 8-3 lead.
Toronto made things interesting in the eighth, as Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera smacked back-to-back singles before Bautista belted a 2-2 changeup deep to left field to bring the Jays within 8-6.
Keuchel was promptly lifted in favor of Jose Veras, who served up a single to Encarnacion before retiring the final five Blue Jays in order to secure his 19th save of the season.
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Game Notes
Houston second baseman Jose Altuve left the game in the seventh inning due to tightness in his left quad. He finished 1-for-3 with a run scored ... Houston went 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position ... Toronto fell to 27-28 at home this season.