'Tough way to lose': Astros fall to Dodgers after balk call - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — Trailing by two runs in the eighth inning, the Los Angeles Dodgers received some help from the Houston Astros bullpen… and the umpire.

James Outman scored the go-ahead run on a balk by Ryne Stanek and the Dodgers rallied to defeat the Astros 8-7 on Saturday for their fourth straight victory.

Stanek, his long blond hair flying, was incensed after striking out Michael Busch to end the inning. He turned around to yell and point at second base umpire Junior Valentine, who tossed Stanek. Pitching coach Josh Miller came out to grab Stanek and plate umpire Manny Gonzalez had to step in front of a barking Stanek.

Houston manager Dusty Baker left the dugout to argue and was ejected, too.

«I needed some kind of explanation because Stanek was going ballistic,» said Baker, who thought the reliever had merely stepped off the rubber.

«Boy, that's a tough way to lose one,» Baker said.

The Dodgers tied it at 7 in the eighth. Reliever Bryan Abreu (2-2) walked Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and J.D. Martinez to load the bases. Kyle Tucker made a sliding catch into the sun in right field on Jason Heyward's sacrifice fly that scored Freeman. Smith scored on Outman's ground-rule double after the ball got stuck in the right field wall.

Valentine called the balk on Stanek, whose right leg appeared to flinch after he looked in for the pitch.

«He said I moved my leg, which was pretty obvious because I stepped off the mound,» Stanek said. «Beyond that, I wholeheartedly disagree. A balk is intentionally trying to deceive a runner. At what point was I trying to deceive a runner? I hadn't even come set yet. I literally was just stepping backwards.»

Stanek said he watched the replay. He had never before been called for a balk.

«The move is