CLEVELAND -- Smiling from ear-to-ear, Astros left-hander Colton Gordon grabbed the game ball from his locker and proudly showed it off to reporters after picking up his first Major League win Friday night, even pointing out that the ball had an authentication sticker.
If the Astros had wanted, they could have passed out game balls all around the Progressive Field clubhouse after Gordon’s five innings of one-run ball, terrific outfield defense by Mauricio Dubón and Jacob Melton and some aggressive baserunning in the fifth inning sparked the Astros’ 4-2 win over the Guardians in the series opener.
And then there was Jeremy Peña banging out three hits for the second game in a row to extend his hitting streak to 12 games and Brendan Rodgers -- making his first start since May 28 -- clubbing his second homer with Houston to snap an 0-for-17 slump.
“We ask so much of these guys and I’m trying to find opportunities for everyone,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “I give him credit for preparing himself every day.”
Defense saves the day
Dubón, a Gold Glove-winning utility player in 2023, made the start in left field and became the sixth outfielder in club history to record two outfield assists in one inning. They came in the same fashion, throwing out Angel Martínez to lead off the first and then José Ramírez one out later -- both trying to stretch a single into a double.
“I played here a couple of times so I kind of know where the ball is going to bounce a little bit,” Dubón said. “I just put myself in a good spot and made a couple of good throws.”
Those plays were two of three outs Gordon had in the first inning, allowing him to settle into the game without a runner getting past first base until the fifth inning.
“[That] really started the day and saved the day at the same time,” Gordon said. “I told him, ‘I get why they hand out those Gold Gloves to you. It makes sense.’ Crazy swing of events and just got the momentum staying on our side early.”
The final out Gordon recorded came on a terrific diving catch down the right-field line to end the fifth by Melton, who was a late addition to the starting lineup after Cam Smith was scratched pregame due to an illness. Melton raced 80 feet and laid out before the wall to make a stunning catch to rob Martínez.
“I got a peek at the wall on the way over there,” Melton said. “It’s one thing I’ve seen so far up here [in the Major Leagues] is there’s a lot less foul ground than most Minor League stadiums. It’s something that was kind of in the back of my mind, but I don’t think it was ever a thought to slow up and not catch that ball. That’s the biggest thing for me is to make every play I can make, regardless of situations.”
Pushing the tempo
The Astros broke through with three runs in the fifth, thanks to some terrific baserunning. Peña scored from second base on an infield single by Jose Altuve, taking off to try to steal third and then continuing home when third baseman Ramírez threw the ball to first.
“I figured if he makes a throw to first and there’s two outs already, so might as well take a chance,” Peña said. “It worked out.”
Moments later, Altuve scored from first base on Christian Walker’s two-run, bloop single to make it 3-0. The consecutive hits by Altuve and Walker were the only two hits the Astros had with runners in scoring position.
“There’s opportunities against this team to get some extra bases and try to create some opportunities, try to get our guys with a runner on third base and less than two outs and try to get some runs across,” Espada said.
Getting the W
Gordon’s first career win came in his fifth career start. He struck out five batters in five innings and allowed seven hits while throwing 75 pitches. After the game, his teammates wheeled him into the shower and covered him with assorted condiments, ranging from hot sauce to mustard.
“I put hot sauce on him,” Peña said. “Hopefully it did not get in his eyes. I asked beforehand, ‘Is this OK to put on somebody?’ I think it was [Spencer] Arrighetti -- he said it was good to go.”
It took Gordon, 26, a few extra minutes to clean himself up before meeting with the media postgame, but he was still wearing a huge smile and holding his cherished souvenir ball.
“I think everything I’ve been talking about the past couple of weeks was better this week overall,” said Gordon -- ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Astros' No. 14 prospect. “And obviously, my first Major League win. It was awesome. It’s what you want to do every time is win. Good start.”