Rookie role grows again in Astros' latest win

MATTHEWS GOES DEEP AGAIN!

Rookie role grows again in Astros' latest win
Brice Matthews helped lead the Astros to a 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks. Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images.

Framber Valdez pitched seven effective innings for his 10th straight win, Brice Matthews hit his third homer in two games and the Houston Astros rallied to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Valdez (11-4) allowed a run and seven hits to match Detroit’s Tarik Skubal for the majors’ longest win streak this season.

Matthews hit his first two big league homers in Houston’s 6-3 win Monday night and launched a two-run shot off Jake Woodford (0-1) in the eighth.

Jose Altuve scored on a wild pitch to put Houston up 3-1 in the ninth.

Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodriguez held the Astros in check before that, tossing 6 1/3 scoreless innings.

Arizona loaded the bases in the ninth, but Bryan King struck out Blaze Alexander and induced Jose Herrera into a game-ending double play for his first save.

Valdez was sharp before running into trouble in the sixth.

Randal Grichuk led off with a double, Geraldo Perdomo dropped a bunt single and Blaze Alexander followed with a run-scoring groundout. Valdez also worked out of a jam after giving up two leadoff singles in the eighth.

Rodriguez worked through traffic most of the night, getting some help from his defense.

Corbin Carroll made a sliding catch in center to rob Matthews of a hit in the second inning. Matthews lost another hit in the fourth when Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte flipped a slow roller with his glove on a play initially ruled a hit before being overturned.

Key moment

Houston third baseman Mauricio Dubón threw out pinch runner Alek Thomas at the plate in the eighth with the Diamondbacks leading 1-0.

Key stat

Valdez has not lost since May 2 against the Chicago White Sox.

Up next

Arizona RHP Brandon Pfaadt (10-6, 4.82) will pitch the series finale on Wednesday. The Astros have yet to name a starter.

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The Red Sox beat the Astros, 14-1. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Alex Bregman homered against his former team for a second straight game and Carlos Narváez added a three-run shot to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 14-1 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.

Dustin May (7-8) scattered five singles across six scoreless and struck out eight in his second start since a trade from the Dodgers.

The loss drops the Astros into a tie with Seattle for the AL West lead after the Mariners beat the Orioles 1-0 for their eighth consecutive win Tuesday.

Bregman, who is playing in Houston as a visitor for the first time this week, hit another two-run home run Tuesday night after hitting one in his first at-bat in Monday night’s 7-6 loss. He spent his first nine seasons with the Astros before signing with the Red Sox this offseason.

His homer came after Narváez slugged a three-run shot as Boston scored five runs with two outs in the sixth to push the lead to 7-0.

Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti (1-3) struggled with command in his second start since missing four months with a broken right thumb. He allowed just one hit and two runs, but walked a career-high five in five innings.

The bases were loaded with one out in the third when Arrighetti plunked Trevor Story on the hand to make it 1-0. The Red Sox made it 2-0 when Roman Anthony, who hit a solo homer in the eighth, scored on a sacrifice fly by Masataka Yoshida.

Wilyer Abreu hit an RBI double in the seventh and a two-run double in Boston’s four-run eighth that made it 12-0.

The Red Sox added two runs in the ninth with outfielder Chas McCormick on the mound.

Key moment

The home run by Narváez that padded the lead in the sixth inning.

Key stat

Bregman’s home run Tuesday was his 96th in the regular season at Daikin Park.

Up next

Houston RHP Hunter Brown (9-5, 2.51 ERA) opposes RHP Walker Buehler (7-6, 5.40) in the series finale Wednesday night.

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