Astros storm back behind Peña’s big night

WINNING!

Astros Jeremy Pena.
The Astros beat the Royals, 4-3. Photo by Kevin M. Cox/Getty Images.

Jeremy Peña had a season-high four hits, capped by a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning, to give the Houston Astros a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.

The Astros trailed by 1 when Zach Dezenzo singled with one out in the eighth and was lifted for pinch-runner Chas McCormick. Mauricio Dubón’s second double of the game dropped into the left field corner and scored McCormick, tying the game and chasing Michael Lorenzen (3-4).

Carlos Estévez took over and Peña lined his third pitch into left field, sending Dubón home and putting the Astros on top.

Josh Hader walked one in a scoreless ninth for his 10th save after Bryan King (1-0) threw a scoreless eighth for the win.

Isaac Paredes homered for a second straight game for the Astros after his shot in the ninth inning Tuesday night lifted them to the 2-1 win.

Maikel Garcia homered and doubled as the Royals built a 3-1 lead.

Dubón’s first double came with one out in the sixth and he scored on a double by Peña to get the Astros within 3-2.

Houston’s Colton Gordon allowed seven hits and three runs in 4 1/3 innings in his major league debut.

Lorenzen yielded seven hits and four runs in 7 1/3 innings for the loss.

Garcia put the Royals up 1-0 with his towering home run to start the second inning. There were two outs and two on in the inning when Jonathan India then smacked an RBI double off the left field wall to make it 2-0.

The Royals had runners at first and second with two outs in the third when Jake Meyers robbed Hunter Renfroe of extra bases with a nifty catch on the track in center.

Paredes homered in the fourth before Garcia’s RBI double that bounced off second base and into the outfield pushed the lead to 3-1.

Key moment

Dubón’s RBI double in the eighth that tied it and chased Lorenzen.

Key stat

Peña has been great in 16 games since moving to the leadoff spot and has five doubles, three homers, 15 RBIs and 28 hits.

Peña caught up with Julia Morales after the game to talk about the big win!

Up next

The Royals are off Thursday and RHP Hunter Brown (6-1, 1.48 ERA) starts for Houston on Thursday night in the opener of a series at Texas with RHP Jacob deGrom (3-1, 2.72) on the mound.

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The Astros beat the Angels, 3-2. Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images.

Mauricio Dubón scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the 10th inning, Jeremy Peña and Isaac Paredes opened the game with home runs, and the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Friday night.

Peña led off the 10th with a single that advanced automatic runner Dubón to third. Dubón scored when Hunter Strickland, who hadn’t allowed a run in 14 2/3 innings of his first 13 appearances with the Angels, threw a pitch behind the back of Paredes.

Houston closer Josh Hader (5-1) retired the side in order in the ninth and Bennett Sousa retired three straight batters in the 10th for his second save.

Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi gave up home runs to Pena and Paredes for a 2-0 Astros lead in the held the Astros to four hits, striking out nine and walking none, for the rest of his seven-inning start.

Jo Adell trimmed Houston’s lead to 2-1 in the fourth with a 426-foot homer off Astros starter Hunter Brown. Angels rookie Christian Moore, a first-round pick out of Tennessee in 2024, tied it 2-2 with his first major league homer to open the seventh.

Tempers flared in the third when Brown hit Angels shortstop Zach Neto in the elbow with a 95-mph sinker. Both benches and bullpens emptied, but no punches were thrown, and order was quickly restored.

Key Moment

Astros center fielder Jake Meyers raced to the gap in left-center to make a spectacular, full-extension diving catch of Adell’s drive with a runner on first base and one out in the bottom of the eighth to preserve a 2-2 tie.

Key Stat

The home runs by Peña and Paredes marked the first time in three years the Astros have opened a game with two homers. Jose Altuve and Peña last accomplished the feat on July 24, 2022 at Seattle.

Up Next

Astros LHP Brandon Walter (0-0, 1.53 ERA) opposes Angels RHP José Soriano (4-5, 3.54) on Saturday night.

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