DETROIT (AP) — Rookie Hunter Brown returned to his hometown to pitch six strong innings, leading the Houston Astros past the Detroit Tigers 6-3 on Tuesday night.
Yordan Alvarez homered and scored three times for the Astros, who are 6-0 against the Tigers this season.
Brown (2-0), who allowed two runs on five hits, was making his second career start in front of a loud group of friends and family. He grew up in suburban Detroit and attended Wayne State, about a mile from Comerica Park.
Ryan Pressly struck out the side in the ninth for his 27th save.
Tigers starter Drew Hutchison (2-8) allowed four runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The Astros took a 1-0 lead on Yordan Alvarez’s long homer in the first, but the Tigers ended a 22-inning scoreless streak in the second. With one out, Spencer Torkelson walked and beat Alvarez’s throw to the plate on Eric Haase’s double down the left-field line.
Houston quickly regained the lead when Alvarez hit a two-out double and scored on Alex Bregman’s flare over the infield. Kyle Tucker followed with a home run to right, making it 4-1.
Akil Baddoo tripled in the bottom of the inning and scored on Riley Greene’s single.
Houston added two more runs in the seventh. Alvarez led off with a walk and Bregman followed with a long drive to the out-of-town scoreboard in right-centerfield. Greene, though, made a diving catch on the warning track, forcing Alvarez to sprint back from beyond second.
After Tucker flew out, Yuli Gurriel homered to left to give Houston a 6-2 lead. Kody Clemens homered off Hector Neris in the bottom of the inning.
TRAINER’S ROOM
RHP Justin Verlander (calf) traveled with the Astros for the series and took part in fielding drills before the game with his family looking on. He could be activated from the injured list later in the week.
ROSTER MOVES
The Astros activated IF/OF Aledmys Diaz (groin) from the 10-day injured list and optioned OF J.J. Matijevic to Triple-A Sugar Land. LHP Blake Taylor (elbow) was activated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Sugar Land while IF/OF Taylor Jones was designated for assignment.
UNUSUAL SCORING
Pitchers aren’t normally credited with an assist on a strikeout, but Brown got one in the third inning. Kerry Carpenter checked his swing on an 0-2 knuckle curve and the ball ricocheted off Martin Maldonado’s chest protector and rolled toward the mound. As Maldonado was appealing to third-base umpire Cory Blaser – who ruled Carpenter had swung – Brown picked up the ball and tossed to first baseman Yuli Gurriel for a K 2-1-3 putout.
UP NEXT
The teams finish their season series on Wednesday, with Detroit’s Joey Wentz (1-1, 4.05 ERA) facing Houston’s Cristian Javier (8-9, 3.01).
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