The visiting Houston Astros scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on an errant pickoff attempt Wednesday night to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1.
Joey Loperfido tripled and scored on an error by Jeff Hoffman (5-5) on a throw to third, snapping a 1-1 tie in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Houston preserved the lead on right fielder Cam Smith’s spectacular catch at the wall in the bottom of the eighth on George Springer’s blast, with Luis Urias doubled up at second base to end the inning.
Steven Okert (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning to earn the win and Josh Hader pitched around a walk in the ninth for his sixth save.
Nathan Lukes homered for Toronto.
Houston scored once in the first against Trey Yesavage. Jeremy Pena walked with two outs and sprinted home when Isaac Paredes doubled to left center to extend his hit streak to nine games. Left fielder Davis Schneider deflected the ball on a diving attempt.
Lukes tied the game against Mike Burrows in the bottom of the inning when he homered to right on a 3-1 fastball.
Yesavage was relieved by Tommy Nance after Smith walked with two out in the sixth. Yesavage allowed one run, two hits and five walks with five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
Hoffman replaced Nance with two out in the seventh and intentionally walked Yordan Alvarez before ending the inning on a groundout.
Okert replaced Burrows, who allowed one run, two hits and one walk with three strikeouts in six innings.
Okert pitched around a single in the seventh.
Former Blue Jay Loperfido tripled against Hoffman with one out in the eighth, a blast high off the center-field wall. Loperfido scored on Hoffman’s errant pickoff throw to third with Yainer Diaz at the plate.
Bryan King allowed a one-out single to Urias in the home eighth. Urias took second on a passed ball. The inning ended when Smith made a leaping catch at the right-field wall on Springer’s shot and threw to the infield to double up Urias.
Toronto’s Mason Fluharty allowed a run in the ninth on two walks, a sacrifice bunt, a fielder’s choice grounder and Pena’s infield hit.
