BACK ON TRACK
Astros turn to Framber Valdez to snap losing streak and avoid sweep
Jul 31, 2024, 2:58 pm
The Astros have lost three straight games. Composite Getty Image.
Pittsburgh Pirates (55-52, second in the NL Central) vs. Houston Astros (55-52, second in the AL West)
Houston; Wednesday, 8:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Jake Woodford (0-2, 10.80 ERA, 2.40 WHIP, seven strikeouts); Astros: Framber Valdez (9-5, 3.43 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 98 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Astros -213, Pirates +178; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros take on the Pittsburgh Pirates after Yainer Diaz had four hits against the Pirates on Tuesday.
Houston has a 55-52 record overall and a 30-24 record at home. The Astros have the eighth-ranked team ERA in the AL at 4.03.
Pittsburgh has a 29-26 record on the road and a 55-52 record overall. The Pirates have gone 35-7 in games when they scored five or more runs.
The teams meet Wednesday for the third time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jose Altuve has 21 doubles, 14 home runs and 47 RBI while hitting .309 for the Astros. Diaz is 15-for-39 with two doubles, a triple and three home runs over the last 10 games.
Bryan Reynolds has 20 doubles, three triples and 18 home runs while hitting .287 for the Pirates. Oneil Cruz is 9-for-39 with three doubles, a triple and three home runs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Astros: 4-6, .266 batting average, 4.34 ERA, outscored by seven runs
Pirates: 6-4, .227 batting average, 2.73 ERA, outscored opponents by four runs
INJURIES: Astros: Kyle Tucker: 60-Day IL (shin), Justin Verlander: 15-Day IL (neck), Cristian Javier: 60-Day IL (forearm), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (forearm), Oliver Ortega: 60-Day IL (elbow), Bennett Sousa: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Penn Murfee: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Garcia: 60-Day IL (elbow), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (elbow), Kendall Graveman: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Pirates: Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 10-Day IL (knee), Daulton Jefferies: 60-Day IL (elbow), Carmen Mlodzinski: 15-Day IL (undisclosed), Joshua Palacios: day-to-day (hamstring), Ji-Hwan Bae: day-to-day (knee), Nick Gonzales: 10-Day IL (undisclosed), Jared Jones: 15-Day IL (lat), Ryan Borucki: 60-Day IL (tricep), Dauri Moreta: 60-Day IL (elbow), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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Jose Altuve and Jeremy Peña homered as the Houston Astros improved to 7-0 in games started by Yusei Kikuchi by beating the scuffling Arizona Diamondbacks 11-5 on Saturday.
Altuve had three hits and scored three times. Peña’s 15th homer was a three-run shot, capping a five-run sixth inning that started with the Astros clinging to a one-run lead.
Houston entered with a 4 1/2-game lead in the AL West over Seattle.
Arizona, which has dropped three straight and seven of 10, began the day leading the Braves and Mets by 1 1/2 games for the second National League wild card.
Kikuchi (8-9) allowed four runs and seven hits over six innings. He struck out six, giving him a career-high 183 strikeouts this season.
The left-hander has a 3.07 ERA since joining the Astros in a trade from the Toronto Blue Jays on July 29, with a 32.1% strikeout rate.
Kevin Newman homered off Kikuchi in the fourth to put Arizona up 3-1, but Houston rallied for four runs against Eduardo Rodriguez in the bottom half.
Rodriguez (2-2) faced 10 batters and needed 47 pitches to get through the inning. Houston loaded the bases without a hit, and Chas McCormick tied the game with a two-run single. Yordan Alvarez’s two-out RBI single put the Astros on top and, after an error, Alex Bregman capped the flurry with a bases-loaded walk.
Alvarez finished with three hits and is batting .410 with 13 RBIs over his last 10 games.
Eugenio Suárez hit his 25th homer in the sixth to bring Arizona within a run, but the Astros broke open the game with the help of Peña’s three-run drive into the Astros’ bullpen in right-center field.
Dylan Floro was charged with all five Houston runs in the sixth.
Rodriguez gave up five runs, four earned, and seven hits over four innings with one strikeout.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks: C José Herrera returned to the lineup after he was removed from Friday’s game when he was hit on the back of the helmet by Kyle Tucker’s follow-through on a strikeout.
Astros: After returning from a 79-game absence Friday due to a fractured right shin, RF Kyle Tucker did not start but was available off the bench. ... INF Mauricio Dubón is dealing with a sore left thumb, which forced him out of Friday’s game after he jammed it diving into first base.
UP NEXT
Houston RHP Justin Verlander (3-5, 4.52 ERA) opposes RHP Ryne Nelson (10-6, 4.15) when the series concludes Sunday night.