George Springer finished a triple shy of the cycle, Josh Reddick hit a grand slam and Brad Peacock solidified his rotation spot as the Astros humbled Sean Newcomb on the way to claiming a 16-4 win over the Braves on Tuesday night at SunTrust Park.
Springer recorded a hit in each of his first three plate appearances en route to a four-hit night, Jose Altuve drove in four runs and Yuli Gurriel contributed a couple of key doubles to back Peacock, who kept the Braves scoreless before allowing five straight batters to reach in Atlanta’s three-run seventh inning. The Astros right-hander has produced a 3.66 ERA in eight starts since being moved out of the bullpen.
Newcomb surrendered 10 of the Astros’ 19 hits and seven runs in 3 1/3 innings as the Braves were unable to capitalize on the return of Freddie Freeman, who made the transition to third base while playing for the first time since fracturing his left wrist May 17. Freeman’s two-out single in the first inning accounted for one of the four baserunners Atlanta generated through the first six innings.
Newcomb surrendered three doubles through the first three innings, but he limited his damage to one run until Springer began the four-run third inning by reaching across the plate to connect on a 3-2 curveball that snuck over the right-field wall for his 25th homer. The Astros center fielder has hit .365 with seven homers in his past 16 games.
Gurriel’s RBI double in the second inning accounted for the first extra-base hit Newcomb surrendered against his curveball in his blossoming career. The Astros first baseman then matched a career-best four-RBI performance with a three-run double in the third against the Braves’ rookie starter, who hadn’t allowed more than six hits in any of his previous four career starts.
Right-hander Joe Musgrove returns from Triple-A to start Wednesday’s 6:35 p.m. CT series finale against the Braves. Musgrove was demoted to Fresno after getting rocked for nine hits and 12 runs in 3 2/3 innings June 23 at Seattle. He went 0-3 with a 10.29 ERA in three starts prior to being sent down.
Jaime Garcia will take the mound when the finale of this two-game set begins Wednesday. Garcia’s once-promising trade value has decreased as he has allowed six runs in each of his past three starts.
