(Reuters) – Astros manager Dusty Baker decided to shake up his batting order for Sunday’s win-or-go-home World Series Game Five and the switch paid off as Houston’s offense exploded for 12 hits in a 9-5 win in Atlanta on Sunday.
The win shaved the Braves’ lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series with Game Six on Tuesday in Houston.
With his team’s offense quiet in the previous two games, Baker moved Carlos Correa up to third, Yuli Gurriel up to fifth and dropped the struggling Alex Bregman to seventh in the order.
Correa and Gurriel combined to go six-for-10 with three RBIs while Bregman, who was a dismal 1-for-14 in the series coming into the game, delivered an RBI double in the second that got the Astros on the board.
“Carlos swung the bat great and we got a big double out of Bregman,” Baker said after the Astros handed the Braves their first home loss of the postseason.
“I’m just glad we get to go back to Houston. That was our goal today. Take it back to Houston. It’s just one game at a time now.”
Catcher Martin Maldonado plated three runs and pinch hitter Marwin Gonzalez put the Astros ahead for good with a two RBI single in the fifth inning.
The Astros hitters drew six walks and did all their damage without a home run.
Baker said his focus was on keeping the game within reach after Braves center fielder Adam Duvall hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning for a 4-0 lead.
“I was trying to figure out a way that we could chip away and get back in that game,” Baker said.
“It was about figuring out how we could keep it at four. We had to stop them from running off on us.”
Baker said he will likely send rookie right hander Luis Garcia to the mound on Tuesday.
“Now we’re going back home,” he added.
“Still alive.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
