This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Trey Cabbage’s two-run double capped a five-run 11th inning Sunday for the visiting Houston Astros, who moved over .500 for the first time this season with a 10-5 win over the New York Mets in the rubber game of a three-game series.
The Astros went 17-8 in June, the best record in the American League and second-best in the majors behind only the Mets, to improve to 42-41.
The Mets, who were 16-7 this month, lost the final two games of the series to fall under .500 (40-41) at the midway point of their season.
With no mutual remaining off-days, the teams waited out a rain delay of two hours and 47 minutes following the top of the ninth.
The teams traded runs in the 10th, when Chas McCormick had an RBI single in the top half before Brandon Nimmo led off the bottom half with a run-scoring double.
Matt Festa (0-1) intentionally walked Yordan Alvarez to open the 11th before Yainer Diaz singled. Jake Meyers followed with the go-ahead single before Joey Loperfido laced a two-run single down the third base line. Two outs later, Cabbage doubled to deep right-centerfield.
Tayler Scott (4-2), the sixth pitcher for the Astros, allowed an unearned run in two innings.
Nimmo finished with three hits, including a two-run, game-tying homer in the seventh — the 100th round-tripper of his career. Mark Vientos had a two-RBI double in the sixth.
Jon Singleton went 3-for-4 with a solo homer before being lifted for the pinch-runner Loperfido in the ninth. Meyers had two RBIs while Diaz had three hits.
Jose Altuve had two hits and an RBI before being ejected in the seventh, when he thought he’d fouled a ball off his foot and didn’t run as Vientos threw him out from third. After a consultation, the umpires upheld the original call, after which Altuve threw his helmet and bat.
Astros opener Shawn Dubin, making just his second career start, walked three and struck out two in 3 1/3 innings. Bryan King followed walked one in 1 2/3 innings before Nimmo singled leading off the sixth to break up the combined no-hit bid.
Mets starter Luis Severino allowed four runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out three over seven innings.
–Field Level Media
