Rasmus gets nice reception in Houston (plus game update)

HOUSTON - During the 2015 and 2016 seasons, the Houston Astros were becoming a pretty good team. They won 86 games in 2015, won the AL wild card game and advanced to the AL Division Series. They won 84 the next year but missed the playoffs.

A key member of the Houston outfield those two seasons was Colby Rasmus, who is starting as the DH for the Orioles tonight.

When the Orioles were introduced yesterday, Rasmus got a nice welcome back reception from the fans at Minute Maid Park.

"I really appreciate the applause I got," Rasmus said today in the Orioles clubhouse. "I had a good time here and played hard. I gave it everything I had. It was pretty cool to be back. The fans didn't have to do that and I appreciate it very much. I'm super thankful they treated me the way they did."

Rasmus had a chance to visit yesterday with Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow. In 2005, Luhnow was then the scouting director of the St. Louis Cardinals and he drafted Rasmus in the first round. Years later, he would sign him as a free agent for this team and he played here in Houston for those two seasons. He batted a combined .223/.301/.419 in 244 games.

So Rasmus and Luhnow go back several years.

"I'm super proud of him," Rasmus said. "It was his goal to come here and put a World Series team together and that's what he did. He was always great to me. Drafted me back when and gave me the chance to play in Houston and those are memories I'll never forget."

As for tonight's game: Jonathan Schoop blasted a long homer to left in the first tonight off right-hander Justin Verlander. It was his first of the year and gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead - their first lead since opening day.

Schoop crushed a 95 mph fastball 417 feet. It was the first run the Orioles scored off a starting pitcher this year and was the first run they've scored before the seventh inning of any game.

The lead lasted just four batters however.

Houston shortstop Carlos Correa hit a two-run inside the park homer in the bottom of the first off Mike Wright Jr. Correa blasted a ball deep to left center and left fielder Trey Mancini leaped near the wall but the ball hit the wall and then caromed back toward center field. It went past Adam Jones as Correa circled the bases for the 2-1 lead.

It was Houston's 40th inside the park home run in franchise history. It was the Astros first since Jon Singleton on Aug. 2, 2014 versus Toronto.

According to STATS, Inc., it was the first inside the park homer off the Orioles since Tampa Bay's David DeJesus off Bud Norris on Sept. 7, 2014 at Tropicana Field.

Correa's sac fly with the bases loaded in the third gave Houston a 3-1 lead at the end of three.

O's get the lead: The Orioles pulled to 3-2 in the fourth inning on Mancini's sac fly. Right fielder Josh Reddick robbed him of a three-run homer at the wall but he got an RBI to pull the O's within a run.

Then Jones hit his second home run of the year, a two-run shot in the sixth for a 4-3 lead. Jones hit one 393 feet off Verlander for No. 2 on the season.

Lead is gone: This lead was short lived. Reddick hit a two-run homer to right off Mychal Givens for a 5-4 lead in the sixth.

Wright went five innings allowing four hits and three runs with one walk and six strikeouts, to tie his career high. He left with a lead but now he can't get a win as Houston moved back in front.

Jones again: Jones broken-bat RBI single in the top of the seventh tied it 5-5.

Final: Astros take Game 2 of the series, 10-6.