There will be a Game Five after the Houston Astros<\/a> defeated the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> 4-3. Jose Altuve<\/strong><\/a> drove in a pair of runs and made every defensive play that came to him. The biggest swing of the game was a tie-breaking home run in the fifth inning off the bat of George Springer<\/strong><\/a> to avoid a sweep in the ALCS.<\/p>\n Coming into Game Four, Altuve, unfortunately, let some runs get away due to some poor throws. However, the Astros second baseman was not going to let his defensive struggles<\/a> creep into his offense. Altuve got Houston on the board early once again<\/a> with a solo home run in the first inning. This home run was historic, as it was his 18th in his postseason career. It tied Reggie Jackson<\/strong><\/a> and Mickey Mantle<\/strong><\/a> for fifth-most all-time in the postseason. In the third inning, the former MVP stroked a double to the opposite field to drive in the second run of the game.<\/p>\n The Astros got the early lead, but Randy Arozarena<\/strong><\/a> was not going to let them keep that lead. The rookie continued his historic postseason by hitting a two-run home run in the fourth. His game-tying blast was his fifth homer of this postseason, one behind Evan Longoria<\/strong><\/a> for most in a single postseason by a rookie.<\/p>\n The game did not stay tied for long, however. The tie was broken when Springer hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning. His big homer put the Astros up 4-2. This was yet another historic home run, as it tied him with Jackson, Mantle, and his teammate Altuve for fifth-most on the postseason home run charts.<\/p>\n As they have done all season, the Rays continued to fight. With a runner on first and two outs in the ninth, Willy Adames<\/strong><\/a> smacked a double off the wall in left-center scoring Joey Wendle<\/strong><\/a> to inch one run closer. A wild pitch advanced Adames to third. The tying run was 90 feet away when Ryan Pressly<\/strong><\/a> got Yoshi Tsutsugo<\/strong><\/a> to fly out to right field for the third out. The Astros held on to beat the Rays 4-3.<\/p>\n As manager Dusty Baker<\/strong><\/a> said, winning this series is a steep mountain to climb, but it’s not impossible. Houston took the first step Wednesday and will attempt to take the second step Thursday. Neither team has announced a starter for Game Five, but Baker said it probably won’t be Framber Valdez<\/strong><\/a> or Lance McCullers Jr.<\/strong><\/a> Valdez has never had this type of workload. McCullers missed last season due to Tommy John<\/strong><\/a> surgery, so they want to be careful with him. That being said, it is an elimination game, so it could be all hands on deck.<\/p>\n Main ImageAltuve, Springer Provide The Sparks<\/h3>\n
Astros Look To Force Game Six<\/h3>\n
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>