Brown dazzles

Astros' Hunter Brown quietly reaches milestone no one else has

Astros Hunter Brown
The Astros beat the Rays, 1-0. Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images.

Hunter Brown allowed one hit in six innings to become the first eight-game winner in the majors, and the Houston Astros edged the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 on Sunday to split a four-game series.

Josh Hader earned his 15th save for the Astros, who scored an unearned run in the first. Jeremy Peña reached on a fielding error by third baseman Junior Caminero and scored on Christian Walker's two-out single off Taj Bradley (4-5).

Houston reliever Bryan King retired two batters and permitted the only other Tampa Bay hit. Bryan Abreu got four outs to set up Hader.

Brown (8-3) didn't give up a hit until Josh Lowe singled to left field leading off the sixth. The right-hander then struck Brandon Lowe before ending his outing with a double play.

The Rays (30-29) outscored the Astros 29-6 in their two wins. Houston (32-27) outscored Tampa Bay 3-1 in its two wins.

Tampa Bay's Taylor Walls was ejected for arguing with plate umpire Nic Lentz with one out in the ninth. Christopher Morel finished the at-bat and struck out. Hader fanned Caminero to end it and hasn't blown a save this season.

Jacob Melton made his big league debut for the Astros, beating out a grounder to second for his first hit after looking at a called third strike his first time up. He started in center field and finished 1 for 3.

Key moment

Already trailing, Bradley had runners at the corners with nobody out in the third. But he struck out Isaac Paredes swinging, got Jose Altuve to pop out and struck out Walker looking to escape unscathed.

Key stat

Brown has a 1.83 ERA in 13 starts — fifth-lowest in the majors.

Up next

Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen (4-4, 2.33 ERA) starts Tuesday against Rangers RHP Tyler Mahle (5-2, 1.64) to begin a six-game homestand.

Astros RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (0-1, 5.89 ERA) pitches Tuesday against Pirates RHP Paul Skenes (4-5, 2.15) to begin a six-game trip.

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Christian Walker had three hits in Game 1. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros continue their road trip Wednesday night in Denver, looking to stay red-hot against a struggling Rockies team that can’t seem to buy a win at Coors Field.

Houston enters the second game of the series with a 51–34 record, sitting atop the AL West and riding a stretch of eight wins in their last ten games. Their offense hasn’t exactly been overpowering during this run — the team is hitting just .228 over that span — but timely power and elite pitching have carried the load. They’ll lean on both again Wednesday as right-hander Hunter Brown takes the mound.

Brown has emerged as one of the most dominant starters in baseball this season, posting an 8–3 record and an eye-popping 1.74 ERA with 118 strikeouts. His efficiency and command (0.89 WHIP) have kept opponents off balance all year, and he’ll face a Rockies lineup that’s shown occasional pop but little consistency. Colorado is just 19–66 overall, with only eight wins in 41 games at home.

Austin Gomber gets the ball for the Rockies in what will be just his fouth start of the season. The lefty owns a 6.14 ERA and has managed only five strikeouts in limited action, which could open the door for Houston’s power bats to do damage early. The Astros are 18–5 when they hit multiple home runs in a game.

Colorado will hope to build on the lone bright spot from Tuesday’s loss, a five-hit effort from rookie Jordan Beck, while Hunter Goodman continues to show some spark with five homers in his last ten games.

With the Astros heavily favored (-258) and looking to build further separation in the division, all eyes will be on Brown as he tries to keep the momentum rolling, and give Houston its 52nd win of the season.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -258, Rockies +208; over/under is 11 runs

Roster moves

Luis Guillorme (hamstring) is headed to the 10-day injured list and Zack Short will replace him on the roster.

Thoughts on tonight's lineup

The first thing that jumps out is Christian Walker is hitting fifth after a three-hit game on Tuesday. Cooper Hummel is hitting seventh and playing left field, with Altuve playing second base again. Shay Whitcomb is in the DH spot, and hitting eighth, followed by Mauricio Dubon. Clearly, Houston's depth will be tested with this lineup. But at least they're playing the lowly Rockies.

Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.


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