Hunter Brown has established himself as one of the most consistent starting pitchers for the Houston Astros. In a season where the pitching staff has been thin, Brown has kept on delivering the goods.
That stretch continued on Saturday night. Brown went seven innings, allowing just one run as the Astros beat the Chicago White Sox 6-1 at Minute Maid Park. With the victory, along with Seattle’s loss earlier on Saturday, Houston now has a four-game lead in the American League West Division. It’s an amazing turnaround for the Astros, who were 10 games behind the Mariners on June 18.
Shay Whitcomb Boosts Houston Astros
It was Brown’s 10th victory in 13 starts. Brown (11-7) gave up four hits to the White Sox offense. He gave up a run in the first inning with two outs, but that’s all Chicago would get. Brown turned in his 14th quality start this season, a stat that leads Houston.
“He knows that he’s a guy we’re going to rely on, and he’s a guy that we want to go deep into games,” Astros manager Joe Espada told The Associated Press. “He knows he’s got ‘A’ stuff.”
Shay Whitcomb, who joined the Houston Astros from Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, notched his first two big-league hits. Whitcomb doubled in the third inning, which started a five-straight-hit string for the Houston Astros. Jose Altuve added a two-run single and Yordan Alvarez had an RBI single in the inning, too.
Whitcomb got the start at third base against White Sox starter Chris Flexen (2-12). “I was pretty relaxed, honestly,” Whitcomb said of his first at-bat on Saturday. “That was a good one.”
But Brown was the one in the pitching spotlight for the Astros. “When you’re having success, it feels good,” Brown said. Since June 1, Brown is 10-2 with a 2.33 ERA. Also, his 10 victories in that span put him in the major league lead. Mauricio Dubon and Yanier Diaz also added RBIs for the Astros.
The Astros look to secure a series win against the White Sox on Sunday afternoon. A couple of lefthanders take the mound with Houston’s Framber Valdez (12-5) going against Chicago’s Ky Bush (0-1).
Caminiti, Cardenas Enter Hall of Fame
The team added two important people to the franchise’s history into the Astros Hall of Fame. Late third baseman Ken Caminiti and longtime Spanish radio announcer Rene Cardenas have been honored over the weekend. Caminiti was a dynamic third baseman who also packed a punch at the plate. Cardenas helped establish Spanish broadcasts with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the former Houston Colt .45s.
The Astros’ bullpen suffered a setback as Ryan Pressly has landed on the 15-day injured list. Pressly is dealing with a lower back strain. Seth Martinez was called up from Sugar Land to take Pressly’s place.
“I don’t think it’s something serious,” Espada said. “We decided to give him some time to heal and get him back out there. … Getting Pressly a little breather here is something that he needed and it creates an opportunity for the rest of the guys to step up.”
Houston is playing shorthanded against the White Sox. Starting third baseman Alex Bregman is out this weekend due to right elbow inflammation. Bregman has not been put on the IL, though.
Injured outfielder Kyle Tucker continues to work hard toward a return to the Houston Astros lineup. Tucker has been out with a deep shin contusion for a lengthy period of time. On Saturday, Tucker took batting practice ahead of Saturday’s game. “He looked good,” Espada said. “That’s the one thing about the baseball activity that comes more natural to him, where you don’t really see anything bothering him. When he swings the bat, he’s able to rotate. It’s fun to watch.”
Justin Verlander made his second minor-league rehab start on Thursday night. He’s pleased with his progress at this time. “I feel good, especially the last couple of innings,” Verlander said on Friday. “I kind of felt like I was able to dial in a little bit and physically felt good.”
In other Houston Astros roster moves, Whitcomb was added to the big-league team on Friday. He took the place of infielder Aldemys Diaz, who was released. Whitcomb was hitting .293 at Sugar Land. He had 25 home runs and 95 RBIs while adding 26 stolen bases.
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