Blue Jays' fourth-inning runs stand in 3-1 win over Astros

Fourth-inning runs create the edge

Toronto put the deciding run across in the fourth inning and added another in the same frame, turning an early lead into enough offense for a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at Daikin Park in Houston.

Kirk started the scoring in the second inning with the game’s only home run, a 373-foot drive to left center that gave the Toronto Blue Jays a 1-0 lead.

In the fourth, Sánchez singled to left and Okamoto scored on an error. Sánchez was safe at second on a throwing error by left fielder Trammell, and Springer reached third on an error on the same play. Clement followed with a sacrifice fly to left that scored Springer, extending Toronto’s lead to 3-0.

Houston gets one back

The Houston Astros produced their lone run in the sixth. Peña singled to center, bringing in Diaz, with Peña advancing to second and Smith to third on the play. That cut Toronto’s lead to 3-1, but Houston did not score again.

Shane Bieber earned the win for Toronto, allowing one earned run on nine hits in 5.2 innings. He walked two and struck out six, improving to 3-2.

Relief work preserves lead

Braydon Fisher followed with 1.0 inning for Toronto, allowing one hit and two walks with no earned runs. Brendon Little pitched 1.1 innings without allowing a hit or an earned run, walking one and striking out four. Tyler Rogers recorded his third save with 1.0 inning, allowing no hits, no walks and no earned runs.

Cristian Javier took the loss for Houston, dropping to 1-2. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings, with no walks and two strikeouts. Tatsuya Imai worked the final 3.0 innings for Houston, allowing no hits, no earned runs and no walks while striking out five.

Final notes

Toronto finished with three runs, all charged as earned to Javier, while Houston’s only run came against Bieber. The announced attendance was 22,789. With the result, the Astros are 58-56 and the Blue Jays are 53-60.

Sources

https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401816382