PIRATES BEAT ASTROS
Hunter Brown stumbles, Pirates defeat Astros 6-2
Jul 30, 2024, 10:34 pm
Pirates defeat Hunter Brown and the Astros, 6-2. Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images
Michael Taylor homered for the second straight game, Bailey Falter returned to the rotation and threw one-run ball into the sixth inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Houston Astros 6-2 on Tuesday night.
Taylor hit a 403-foot, two-run homer off Astros starter Hunter Brown (9-7) in the sixth inning. Taylor hit a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning on Monday night in the Pirates' 5-3 victory. His fourth homer of the season also marked the first back-to-back homer games for the 33-year-old outfielder since August with Minnesota.
Falter (5-7), making his first start since July 6 due to triceps tendonitis, kept Houston in check, throwing 47 of his 66 pitches for strikes. The 27-year-old left-hander allowed six hits and one run with three strikeouts and no walks in 5 1/3 innings.
Astros catcher Yainer Diaz hit a solo homer off Falter in the fourth inning for his 10th homer and 58th RBI of the season.
Brown was pulled following Taylor’s homer, falling an out short of his 13th straight start of six innings or more. He allowed five runs, four earned, with eight strikeouts and two walks.
The Pirates scored first, in the second inning, on a fielder’s choice. In the fourth, Brown committed a two-out throwing error on a weak grounder from Connor Joe that allowed Joey Bart to score. The next batter, Jared Triolo, doubled to score Joe and put Pittsburgh up 3-0.
The Astros picked up their second run on a fielder’s choice on which Yordan Alvarez scored.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: Carmen Mlodzinski (right shoulder strain) was put on the 15-day injured list. ... OF Joshua Palacios (left hamstring) and OF Ji Hwan Bae (left knee), who both left Monday’s game early, ran on Tuesday but did not play.
Astros: RHP Justin Verlander (neck) and RHP Luis Garcia (Tommy John) threw off a mound on Tuesday, as they near a return. Verlander threw less than 30 pitches against live batters, while Garcia threw 30 pitches, also against live batters.
UP NEXT
Astros LHP Framber Valdez (9-5, 3.43 ERA) will look to help the Astros to a seventh straight win in games in which he starts, a stretch where he is 4-0 with a 2.49 ERA. Pittsburgh has not announced a starter.
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Astros show signs of life in blowout win over Brewers
May 7, 2025, 3:25 pm
Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has a strained muscle at the top of his right hand, a diagnosis that instills optimism he won’t have a prolonged stay on the injured list.
The three-time All-Star went on the 10-day injured list Monday, retroactive to Saturday, and returned to Houston for an MRI that revealed the muscle strain.
“We look at it as good news,” Astros manager Joe Espada said before their Wednesday afternoon game with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Espada expressed hope that Alvarez wouldn’t have to stay on the injured list longer than the required 10 days. He also said the hand issue may have played a role in Alvarez’s slow start.
Alvarez, 27, is hitting .210 with a .306 on-base percentage, three homers and 18 RBIs in 29 games this season. He batted .308 with a .392 on-base percentage, 35 homers and 86 RBIs in 147 games last year while ranking ninth in the AL Most Valuable Player balloting.
He has posted an OPS of at least .959 and has finished 13th or higher in the MVP voting each of the last three seasons.
“Once he heals, once he gets back, I think we’ll see a more aggressive at bat and be not as cautious,” Espada said. “I think it had something to do with it, yes.”
His potential return could go a long way toward boosting an Astros lineup that hasn’t been as productive as usual this season. The Astros entered Wednesday’s action ranked 21st in the majors in runs (136) and 23rd in OPS (.676). Houston has ranked 11th or better in both those categories each of the last four seasons.