Keuchel solid in return from DL as Astros down Orioles 5-2


              Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Saturday, May 27, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Saturday, May 27, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

HOUSTON (AP) - Dallas Keuchel had a solid performance in his return from the disabled list, and George Springer hit a two-run homer to help the Houston Astros to a 5-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night.

Keuchel (8-0), who missed one start with a pinched nerve in his neck, allowed four hits and one run while fanning eight in six innings. His eight wins this season lead the majors and he's just one win away from matching his total from last year, when he struggled in the follow-up to his stellar 2015 season during which he won 20 games and the American League Cy Young Award.

Will Harris struck out two in a perfect ninth for his second save.

Houston led by 1 in the fourth before Springer homered off Wade Miley (1-3) to make it 4-1.

Welington Castillo had an RBI single for the Orioles, whose season-high skid reached six games.

Jose Altuve had three hits and an RBI and Carlos Correa added two hits and drove in a run for the Astros, who won for the fifth time in six games.

Miley tied season highs by allowing eight hits and four runs in five innings to remain winless since April 14.

Springer put Houston up 1-0 in the first when he made a diving slide to evade the tag at home and score on a double by Altuve. Correa followed with a single to send Altuve home and push the lead to 2-0.

The Orioles got going in the third inning when Caleb Joseph walked with two outs. Joey Rickard singled before Joseph scored on a single by Castillo to cut the lead to 2-1.

Alex Bregman singled with one out in the fourth before Springer hit his 10th home run on a towering 447-foot shot to center field with two outs to extend Houston's lead to 4-1.

Chris Davis tripled off Tony Sipp to start the seventh and scored on a wild pitch by James Hoyt with one out to cut the lead to 4-2.

The Astros added a run in the seventh when Altuve scored on an error by Rickard.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: CF Adam Jones was out of the lineup on Saturday and expected to miss Sunday's game as well because of a sore ankle and hip. "We needed to back off of him," manager Buck Showalter said. "Hopefully it's only a day or two. We'll see. If it's not better in a couple of days, we'll see if we need to take another step."

Astros: C Brian McCann was activated from the 7-day concussion list before the game and returned to the lineup. He went 0 for 2 with two walks.

UP NEXT

Orioles: Alec Asher (1-2, 2.17) who has spent most of the season in the bullpen, will start for Baltimore on Sunday. Asher is taking the place of struggling right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, who was moved to the bullpen after posting a 7.17 ERA in nine games. Asher hasn't allowed a run in his last four appearances.

Astros: Lance McCullers (5-1, 2.43) is scheduled to start for Houston on Sunday. McCullers allowed one hit in five scoreless innings in his last start to extend his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 22 innings, which is the longest active streak in the AL.

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