HOUSTON -- Houston manager Bo Porter said early in the season that he thought giving catcher Jason Castro days at designated hitter would keep him fresh late and help the team. Air Jordan 16 Sale . It looks like the first-year manager was right. Castro homered twice and drove in three runs to lead the Houston Astros to an 8-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night. Castro hit a two-run homer in the third inning to push the lead to 5-0, and added a solo shot in the seventh to make it 8-4. "The rest that weve been able to give him I think is paying big dividends this time of year," Porter said. "Had he not had the amount of time off hes been afforded this year, I think youll start to see the wear and tear a little bit. But I think hes going to take strong throughout the course of the year because weve done a tremendous job of monitoring his workload." Brandon Barnes gave Houston an early lead with a two-run double in the second inning. Brad Peacock (3-4) allowed six hits and four runs in 5 2-3 innings for the win. Chia-Jen Lo pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save. The Astros jumped on Chien-Ming Wang (1-2) for four hits and five runs in three innings in his first start since July 2 after his contract was selected from Triple-A Buffalo earlier in the day. "Houston built a 7-0 lead before Toronto got anything going on offence. Kevin Pillar hit his first career homer on a three-run shot in the fifth inning and Edwin Encarnacion had a solo homer in the sixth for the Blue Jays. However, Torontos rally came up short as it tied a season-high with its seventh straight loss. "It was a tough go for him," manager John Gibbons said of Wang. "He threw some good sinkers, but a lot of them were flat, and that was what they caught up. We fell behind early. It turned out to be too much to overcome." Castro, who finished with three hits, has 17 homers this season, which ties a team-record for home runs by a catcher set by John Bateman in 1966. It was the third multi-home run game of his career and the second this season. He said it was "surreal" to match the record, but that he thought he would be in for a good season after a productive spring training where he made some adjustments to his hitting. "The biggest thing that Ive really been trying to do this year is stay as consistent as possible and really not deviate from my approach," he said. "Ive tried to be as simple as possible and its worked out so far." Castro doubled to start Houstons second and advanced to third on a one-out single by Brett Wallace. The Astros took a 2-0 lead on Barnes two-run double. A wild pitch by Wang allowed Barnes to advance to third with two outs before he scored when Jonathan Villar reached on an error by Jose Reyes. L.J. Hoes walked in the third inning before Castro hit his 16th homer to the seats in right field with one out to make it 5-0. Right fielder Rajai Davis climbed up the short wall in vain to chase to ball as it sailed out of his reach and into the stands. Barnes reached on a second error by Reyes with no outs in the fourth. Robbie Grossman extended his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games with a two-out RBI double before taking third on a passed ball. Hoes pushed the lead to 7-0 when Grossman scored on his double to the wall in right field. Peacock yielded a double to Brett Lawrie to start the second inning before retiring the next six batters. Encarnacion walked to start the fourth, but Peacock got out of the inning with a double play. Peacock allowed consecutive one out singles to Anthony Gose and Ryan Goins before the homer by Pillar cut the lead to 7-3. The hit, which bounced off the wall in left-centre field, was originally a double, but it was reviewed and ruled a homer. Pillar smiled before trotting to home plate where umpire Bill Miller was waiting to hand him the ball. Encarnacion got the Blue Jays within 7-4 when he homered for the second straight game to start the sixth. J. P. Arencibias RBI double made it 8-5 in the eighth. Wang was making his second career start against Houston and the first since tearing ligaments in his right foot running the bases when he pitched as the ace of the Yankees staff and faced the Astros on June 15, 2008. NOTES: The Blue Jays recalled RHP Chad Jenkins from Double-A New Hampshire and transferred INF Maicer Izturis, out with a sprained left ankle, to the 60-day DL. Jenkins allowed three hits and three runs in four innings. ... Houston Texans GM Rick Smith was a guest of Porter at batting practice before the game. "It was a natural connection and our friendship just has developed more and more as time went on," Porter said. "Hes a huge supporter of mine and Im a huge supporter of his." Smith said he has enjoyed watching Porters work in his first year as manager. "Hes such a leader," Smith said. "Obviously theres not a whole lot of success happening in terms of wins and losses, but what he is building here is so impressive. To watch him each day come to the ballpark with such a positive outlook and where hes leading this group is just impressive."... The Astros announced LHP Erik Bedard will be moved out of the rotation and into the bullpen. Porter said theyll announce his replacement in the rotation early next week. The 34-year-old Bedard, who had never pitched in relief in his career until a stint earlier this season, wasnt too happy about the move. "I was very surprised," he said. "I dont really know what to say." Nike Air Woven Sale . As future stars prepare to make the big leap to the professional ranks, TSNs Draft Week delivers wall-to-wall coverage of both the NHL and NBA Entry Drafts, highlighted by exclusive live coverage of both events. Giannis Antetokounmpo Shoes Sale . -- Top-seed Shahar Peer and Canadian Eugenie Bouchard advanced to the second round of the inaugural WTA Citi Open. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/nike-air-safari-sale/ . Advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals should be a formality after Lionel Messi scored a penalty and Dani Alves added a late second to secure a commanding 2-0 advantage over City in the round of 16 on Tuesday.Ahead of the Grand Final, Manchester Thunders Sara Bayman and Surrey Storms Sophia Candappa answer key questions about Saturdays title decider. Reigning champions Surrey will face Manchester, who finished top of the Vitality Netball Superleague, at the Copper Box Arena, live on Sky Sports. Sky Live: Storm v Thunder Surrey Storm face Manchester Thunder in Saturdays Grand Final The Storm and Thunder hold one win apiece in their matches this season, but who will come out on top this weekend? Sara and Sophia have given their verdicts... Is Surrey Storm v Manchester Thunder the dream final?Sara: I think for the fans, yes definitely. Storm and Thunder have a lot of history, a lot of rivalry. The fans should expect a treat as we usually put on a good game. We finished one and two in the league, obviously won our semi-finals, and over the course of the season you would say these are the top two sides. The fans should expect a treat as we usually put on a good game. Sara Bayman Sophia: Definitely. Weve both won a game each against each other, so I think Saturday is going to be a really hotly contested game. Well probably be level pegging the whole way through. Do you expect an evenly contested final?Sara: I think that is most likely. Weve both analysed each other, we both know each others games. Having one win each, its the decider and I would expect it to be really tight. Defending champions Surrey Storm will meet Manchester Thunder in the Vitality Superleague Grand Final after Saturdays semi-finals Sophia: Tamsin, our coach has always said to us that the final should be between Storm and Thunder. We have definitely kept our eye on them, watching the video of them against other teams and our games. Can Surrey draw confidence from last years title triumph?Sara: They might have the edge in that theyve won a Superleague at the Copper Box before. But each of the Superleagues that we have won have been against Storm. Its 50-50. Surrey Storm defeated Hertfordshire Mavericks in last years Grand Final Sophia: I actually didnt play for the Storm last year, but I definitely think that is an advantage for us as a team. Definitely the plan is to go back and win it again at the Copper Box. Its sort of our second home after playing London Live, so I think weve definitely got a bit of a home advantage. What was the most important victory in the season?Sara: I think our victory away to Team Bath in round three. It kind of set us up for a good season and was probably our strongest performance of the season. It came really early and was a confidence boost, knowing that we could play that well and were title contenders. Storm defeated Hertfordshire Mavericks in round 14 Sophia: Our last round game which was against Mavericks. We had to win in order to secure a home semi-final. That did make a massive difference and was a confidence booster going into our semi-final against Mavericks again. It was a really crucial game. What key battles are we expecting on Saturday?Sara: I think Rachel Dunn in the circle is going to be one to watch for us. Me and Sophia will probably play against each other in the middle, which will be quite tasty. Then Ellie Cardwell against Hannah Reid is going to be huge. Who comes out on top of that could decide the game. Sara Bayman and Sophia Candappa talk about their potential match-up in the centre position in Saturdays Grand Final Sophia: Hannah Reid up against Ellie Cardwell is going to be really interesting. Chris Paul Shoes Sale. Hannah is a really experienced defender and Ellie Cardwell is a young, upcoming England shooter. That will be a really exciting match-up and also Ill be up against Sara, which is always a good battle. Im looking forward to that. Who is the most dangerous player on the opposing team?Sara: When Rachel Dunn is on form she just slots goals from anywhere. Weve really got to cut down the service to her from the mid-court, because we dont want her getting the ball in the circle. Helen Housby is a potent shooter for the Thunder Sophia: They have got a really strong mid-court. Sara and Natalie Haythornthwaite are a really strong combo. Ultimately Helen Housby, the superstar shooter, can do a lot of damage. That is part of our game-plan to stop her from scoring that golden goal. How important have the coaching staff been to your success?Sara: Our coaching staff have been great all through the season. We definitely went through a mid-season blip and I think as a team we were getting worried about it, whereas the coaching staff were just absolutely fine. Were ready to peak again and the last few games weve been playing really well. Head coach Dan Ryan has guided Thunder to the Grand Final in his first season Sophia: They have been really influential. Obviously weve had Tamsin Greenway not playing this year. Shes been on the bench as Director of Netball for Surrey and also Head Coach Kat Ratnapala. They are both experienced players. Kat has been working with the defenders, which has been awesome, and for me Ive had the joy of learning everything from Tamsin, which has been really good. How does it feel to be nominated for the player of the season award?Sara: Its fantastic. I actually really didnt expect it and the first I knew about it was when my Mum rang me up and told me. Its really nice to get individual recognition, but Ill take a Superleague win over that. If I can have both, thanks. My mum has voted about 18 times. Shes whipping iPads out from nowhere. Im really honoured to be recognised, but I just want to go out there on Saturday and do my team proud and play well. Sophia Candappa Sophia: It was a real shock. Im really honoured to be recognised, but I just want to go out there on Saturday and do my team proud and play well, so I can give us the best chance of winning that Superleague title. What will it mean on a personal level if you win the Superleague title?Sara: Its huge. As an experienced player, you realise that these opportunities dont come around very often. Its such a huge game and such an amazing stadium to be in. To win it for Manchester Thunder would be absolutely massive. Surrey Storms Sophia Candappa and Manchester Thunders Sara Bayman answer some quick-fire questions on their team-mates Sophia: All those hours that weve given up, Tamsin screaming at me, telling me how awful I am at times in games, it will all be worth it. The Storm girls are amazing, they have really welcomed me this season. I feel like I have slotted in and to do it with them would be just amazing.Watch Surrey Storm against Manchester Thunder in Saturdays Grand Final from 4.30pm on Sky Sports 5. Also See: Sky Live: Superleague Grand Final WATCH: Grand Final match-up Ryan: Thunder is my future WATCH: Housbys magic moment ' ' '