Gomez, Conger hook up for key DP vs. Yanks
NEW YORK -- For all of Astros center fielder Carlos Gomez's struggles at the plate since he was traded to the Astros -- he's hitting .181 in 22 games -- he managed to make an impact Monday with a terrific throw to the plate to complete an inning-ending double play in the seventh.
With Scott Feldman of the Astros and Nathan Eovaldi of the Yankees locked in a scoreless battle, Gomez caught a fly ball off the bat of Chase Headley in left-center and threw a strike to catcher Hank Conger, who tagged out Brian McCann to end the inning. The Yankees eventually won, 1-0, with a run in the ninth.
Gomez, whose throws to the plate haven't been on target since he came to Houston in a trade with the Brewers, came through in a big spot.
"You know, I take a little bit of time," he said. "I throw down. I don't want to miss. I know I have McCann on the base … and the ball is not too deep. So I make sure that I throw in the right direction to get him out, and it was a perfect throw and we got him."
Video: Must C Catcher: Conger's slick play at home plate
The throw was nearly rolling as it reached the plate, and Conger did a nice job of catching it and applying a difficult tag to the sliding McCann.
"Any time you try and make a play up the line with the runner kind of coming in toward that same angle right there, [it's difficult]," Conger said. "I'm just glad I kind of picked it right there, and I was able to make the tag. He made a pretty good slide, sliding on the inside. It was a great throw."
The throw saved a run for Feldman, who wound up throwing eight scoreless innings.
"At the time, that's the game right there," Feldman said. "If they score right there, game's over in eight at-bats for them. Pretty exciting play. Great throw by Gomey. Really, just a tough tag for Hank to even catch that ball and tag him and hang onto the ball. It was a pretty incredible play.
"A lot of times you get a momentum play like that and you come back in and put up a couple of runs, but tonight Eovaldi was pretty dominant."