Austin Slater shines as San Francisco Giants beat Houston Astros

San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb works against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Austin Slater had three hits and drove in two runs to help the San Francisco Giants beat the Houston Astros 5-3 on Wednesday.

Slater also stole a base and scored for San Francisco, which won the rubber match of the three-game series in two hours and seven minutes.

“Anytime you can take a show and contribute to it, it feels good,” Slater said. “Everyone in the lineup contributed today and it was a good team win.”

Yordan Alvarez scored for Houston, which has lost three of four overall.

The Giants jumped on Framber Valdez for five runs and eight hits in four innings. Valdez (5-4) threw 59 pitches in his shortest outing of the season, finishing with just one strikeout, his fewest in a game since July 26, when he had one against Texas.

“I felt a little uncomfortable there,” Valdez said through a translator. “The throws weren’t doing what I wanted them to do, including the breaking stuff. So I was a little out of control there.

San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb (6-5) allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings.

“At first I thought I was really good, then later I started getting behind the guys and I think that’s when some things happened,” Webb said . “But overall I felt pretty good.”

Ryan Walker, Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval combined for three scoreless innings in relief. Doval retired former Giants utility player Mauricio Dubón to end the game, earning his 12th save in 14 opportunities.

Wilmer Flores gave San Francisco an early lead with a sacrifice fly in the third. Matt Chapman followed with an RBI double.

Jeremy Peña drove in Houston’s first run on an infield single in the fourth.

Slater responded with a two-run single in the bottom of the inning, and Heliot Ramos added a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1.

“It’s huge, especially against a starter like that,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said of the early offense. “And then we have Webby on the mound. So you feel really good that you won the match.

Alvarez hit a two-run homer to center in the sixth, his 14th of the year.

“Webb is not an easy guy to face, but I thought our hitters were pretty good,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “I thought we were in the game and we gave ourselves a few chances.”

TRAINERS ROOM

Astros: OF Kyle Tucker (right shin contusion) has not started baseball activities and is not expected to return Friday when he is eligible to come off the injured list. However, Espada hasn’t ruled him out for the weekend. … C Yainer Díaz missed his third straight game with right index finger soreness, although Espada said he was available off the bench and should be ready to start Friday.

Giants: LHP Blake Snell (left groin strain) threw off the mound for the first time since joining the IL on June 3. … RHP Austin Warren (UCL right elbow surgery) pitched a scoreless inning with a strikeout during a rehab outing with Single-A San Jose on Wednesday.

FOLLOWING

Astros: Return home for a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers starting Friday night. RHP Hunter Brown (2-5, 5.58 ERA) looks for his fifth straight quality start against Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal (8-1, 1.92).

Giants: RHP Spencer Howard (0-0, 2.03) opens a three-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night. The Angels had not announced a starter.