Brown dazzles
Astros' Hunter Brown quietly reaches milestone no one else has
Jun 1, 2025, 4:49 pm
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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Isaac Paredes has been a steady force in the middle of the Astros’ order, but a tweaked hamstring suffered during Thursday’s win over the White Sox may force Houston to recalibrate, again.
If Paredes misses time, the most logical shuffle would see Jose Altuve sliding back to second base, with Mauricio Dubón stepping in at third. It’s a reasonable patch. But internally, there’s also some intrigue around whether Cam Smith—currently thriving in right field—could slide back to his original position on the infield. The idea isn’t without merit; Smith is the club’s best offensive option at third in Paredes’ absence. But defensively, it’s hard to justify moving him right now. Smith made several standout plays in the Chicago series, reinforcing just how important his glove has become to the Astros’ outfield defense. One thing is for sure, the Astros can't afford to play both Dubon and Brendon Rodgers in the infield regularly. The offense would take a huge hit.
Timing, however, might be on Houston’s side. The next stretch of games features the Twins, Athletics, and Angels—three teams the Astros can beat even while navigating lineup instability. It helps that Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker are showing signs of life at the plate. Diaz, in particular, has been red-hot, posting an OPS north of 1.200 over the past week. Walker is batting over .300 during that same span, giving the Astros enough firepower to survive short-term turbulence.
Elsewhere, the outfield presents its own set of choices. Jacob Melton has shown enough in the field to warrant a serious look as Chas McCormick’s replacement when he returns from injury. He’s still searching for consistency at the plate, batting under .200 in his first 10 big league games. But his arm and left-handed bat give manager Joe Espada a little more lineup flexibility—especially with Yordan Alvarez still out and the offense skewing right-handed.
For now, the Astros have room to adjust. But if Paredes ends up missing significant time, they’ll need more than just a few temporary solutions to keep their momentum going.
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