Tucker takes off in Mother's Day win

Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina/USA Today Sports

Kyle Tucker had been struggling mightily heading into the Astros' rubber match with the Blue Jays. Turns out, all he needed was a kiss from mom.

Tucker drove in four batters on Sunday, a high for him on the year in Houston's 7-4 victory over Toronto on Mother's Day.

Houston got off to a fast start, rattling off seven runs through four innings, and Tucker was heavily involved early on. After an RBI single by Michael Brantley in the first inning, Tucker got Houston's second run on an RBI triple that scored Yuli Gurriel from first base.

Two runs later, Tucker would blow the game wide open for the Astros. Tucker got to a 3-0 fastball and promptly deposited the ball into the right field seats.

It was a refreshing development for Tucker, who had been off to a rough start to begin the season. Through 34 games, Tucker had been slashing a woeful .188/.258/.393, and had been bumped down to near the bottom of the lineup. Manager Dusty Baker signaled that Sunday's game might represent a turning point for the young lefty.

"Everything just starts with one," Baker commented after the game. "All you can do is just build off that one, and go to two and three and four, and next [thing] you know, hopefully, you’ll start rolling."

Tucker also got some advice from veteran Michael Brantley, a fellow southpaw and experienced hitter. "I was talking to [Michael Brantley] last night after the game, and he was saying how even if guys are [doing] bad, it only takes one pitch or one AB or one game or whatever to get started on a hot streak," Tucker said. "Hopefully, I kind of turned it around now. I’ve just [got] to keep working, and grinding, and put up some good ABs and put some runs on the board. I’m going to try to build off today and go from there."

It was a pretty encouraging performance all-around for the Astros. After a short start from Zack Greinke, the bullpen -- much maligned for a majority of the season -- put together five innings of shutout baseball, allowing only two baserunners through the final five frames.

With the win, the Astros move to 18-16. They'll kick off their second consecutive series at home against the Los Angeles Angels. Luis Garcia will toe the bump for Houston, facing what will likely be a bullpen day for Joe Maddon's Angels. First pitch is scheduled for 6 PM CT.