Pittsburgh Pirates vs Houston Astros Results, Stats and Recap – July 29, 2024 Gametracker

HOUSTON (AP) — Paul Skenes allowed one earned run in six innings and Michael A. Taylor hit a game-tying three-run homer in the ninth inning off Josh Hader to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Houston Astros 6-3 on Monday night.

Skenes lowered his ERA from 1.93 to 1.90, allowing two runs, five hits and three walks with six strikeouts. His 103 strikeouts in his first 13 starts trail only Hideo Nomo (119), Kerry Wood (118), Herb Score (107), Jose DeLeon (106), while tying Masahiro Tanaka.

Skenes’ streak of starts with seven or more strikeouts ended at nine, tied with Dwight Gooden (1984) and Brandon Beachy (2011) for the most among rookies, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Skenes averaged 98.5 mph with his fastball, down 0.6 mph from his season average, and didn’t reach 100 mph. He threw 34 splinkers, 28 fastballs, 28 sliders, eight curveballs and three changeups, getting 16 swings and misses, compared to 11 in his first start after the All-Star break.

“I thought it was terrible,” Skenes said of his slider. “I wasn’t executing it and, frankly, I got lucky. I was trying to find it.”

Houston took a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning after loading the bases on a single by Jon Singleton, a walk by Jake Meyers and a grounder by Victor Caratini. Jose Altuve hit what appeared to be an inning-ending hit, but the ball grazed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes’ glove, a gold glove, for an error, and two runs were scored.

Yasmani Grandal hit a sixth-inning home run off Kaleb Ort and Oneil Cruz hit a game-tying double off Ryan Pressly in the eighth inning, a 119.3-mph hit that bounced off the right-field wall. Pressly had entered the game with 15 consecutive scoreless innings.

Taylor hit a ninth-inning home run off Hader (4-6) for a 5-2 lead on a night where fans received replica Hader jerseys as a promotional giveaway. Taylor hit a 96.6-mph sinker 421 feet to left-center field for his third home run this season.

“I was looking for a fastball, and he’s got a really good one,” Taylor said. “I was looking for a ball I could hit. It was awesome.”

Aroldis Chapman (4-4) struck out two in the eighth inning and David Bednar earned his 19th save in 22 chances. He forced a run with a walk to Yordan Alvarez and then retired Yainer Diaz on a game-ending fly ball.

“A team win,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “I think the word ‘courage’ is appropriate. We’ve had to use a lot of players over the last two days, and a lot of them really stepped up in the big moments. So overall, two good team wins.”

Tayler Scott of the Houston Astros pitched three hitless innings in his first major league start this season after Jake Bloss was pulled. The Astros bolstered their rotation, acquiring left-hander Yusei Kikuchi from Toronto in exchange for Bloss, first baseman/outfielder Joey Loperfido and infielder Will Wagner, son of former pitcher Billy Wagner.

Pittsburgh acquired infielder Nick Yorke from Boston in exchange for right-hander Quinn Priester and left-hander Jalen Beeks from Colorado in exchange for Double-A left-hander Luis Peralta.

TRAINERS’ ROOM

Pirates: Left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter (left triceps tendinitis) was activated from the 15-day disabled list and is expected to make his first start since July 6 on Tuesday. … RF Joshua Palacios left the field with left hamstring discomfort in the fifth, one inning after a groundout. … CF Ji Hwan Bae left the field with left knee discomfort. … Outfielder Bryan Reynolds was activated from the disabled list and outfielder Jack Suwinski was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Astros: Relief pitchers Justin Verlander and Luis Garcia are on track to pitch from the mound Tuesday, manager Joe Espada said. Garcia will face swinging hitters while Verlander will face non-swinging hitters.

FOLLOWING

Falter (4-7, 4.08 ERA) will start Game 2 of the series for the Pirates on Tuesday. Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (9-6, 4.40 ERA) will try to extend his streak of six or more innings in 12 consecutive starts, the second-longest streak in the major leagues this season.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb