Major League Baseball

Altuve sets Astros' single-season hit record in loss to Indians' Kluber

Published Sep. 17, 2014 4:41 a.m. ET

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Jose Altuve enjoyed a record-breaking moment in his amazing season.

The Houston Astros' second baseman broke Craig Biggio's club record for hits in a season with his 211th of the year, a single up the middle in the seventh inning Tuesday night during a 4-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

Altuve, hitless in his first two at-bats, tied the mark with a double down the left-field line in the fifth. The 18,381 in attendance gave Altuve a standing ovation for about a minute before he tipped his helmet in both instances. Fireworks went off in the seventh after the record-breaking hit.

"When I was a kid growing up watching Craig Biggio and hundreds of players more, you know Biggio is second base," Altuve said. "He used to play for the Houston Astros like I am right now. He got the record. He got 3,000 hits. He's going to be in the Hall of Fame sooner than later.

"For me to break the record is very important."

After the fifth inning, Altuve went over to Biggio, who was sitting with Nolan Ryan to the right of home plate, and shook his hand.

"He said just congratulation and keep swinging," Altuve said. "Those two words mean a lot to me just coming from him. It means a lot, too, that he was watching the game. He came out early to BP and he said, 'OK, two more, let's go get it.' That made my day and it's really fun."

Houston interim manager Tom Lawless said the night was special for everyone.

"I hope the other guys see (how he approaches the game) and they want to do the same thing he is doing," Lawless said. "I hope that it rubs off on them to where they go out and prepare themselves to play the game that way."

Indians ace Corey Kluber (16-9) struck out a career-high 14 batters, allowing one run and seven hits to earn his third straight win. His previous high for strikeouts was 13 against the Chicago White Sox on May 4.

"I didn't consistently execute throughout the entire game, but when I needed to make big pitches, I was able to execute," Kluber said. "Yan (Gomes) did a good job back there, leading me through the early part of the game when I didn't quite have that good of stuff."

Kluber has allowed four runs over his last 24 1/3 innings with 29 strikeouts.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona said his emerging ace looked as strong as ever.

"He worked ahead," Francona said. "He usually starts the game out establishing his fastball command; today I think he had to work into it. ... But his stuff is just so late moving and going both directions. Pitching in and opening up away, there's a reason he had those strikeouts." 

Yan Gomes' two-run homer off Darin Downs in the sixth increased Cleveland's lead to 4-1.

Cody Allen got the last out in the eighth and pitched the ninth for his 21st save for the Indians, who halted a four-game losing streak.

Michael Bourn scored on Carlos Santana's groundout in the first, and the Indians went up 2-1 in the fourth when Lonnie Chisenhall scored on an error by Robbie Grossman after Gomes singled to left field.

Marwin Gonzalez tied it at 1 in the first with an RBI single to score Altuve, who reached on a fielder's choice. Alex Presley's RBI single in the eighth cut the Cleveland lead to 4-2.

Nick Tropeano (1-1) gave up two runs — one earned — and four hits with four strikeouts in five innings.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Indians: INF Zach Walters (right intercostal) had an MRI and "structurally he's good," Francona said. "They checked his ribs, things like that, so he's OK there. So we know it's soft tissue; now they've just got to see how he responds and I think the trainers think this might be pretty quick." ... OF Ryan Raburn (left knee) flew back to Cleveland to have an MRI on Wednesday.

Astros: Rookie OF George Springer (left quadriceps) won't play again this season, Lawless said. Springer has been on the disabled list since July 20 with the injury.

UP NEXT

Indians RHP Carlos Carrasco will be looking to rebound Wednesday when he faces LHP Brett Oberholtzer. Carrasco took his first loss Friday since returning to the rotation in August. Oberholtzer lasted just 4 1/3 innings and allowed four earned runs in his most recent start Friday.  

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