The Houston Astros powered past the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-2 on Thursday night, but the story began long before the first pitch. Fans at PNC Park waited out a rain delay that stretched over three hours, setting the stage for a late-night showdown that didn’t disappoint.
Framber Valdez delivered a dominant performance for Houston, pitching seven innings and striking out while allowing just two runs. This outing marked his fifth consecutive win, cementing a.72 ERA over his last six starts Offensively, Isaac Paredes stole the spotlight, launching two home runs—his 13th and 14th of the season—including a two-run shot in the ninth that put the game out of reach.
The Pirates, led by Jared Triolo’s two hits and two runs, threatened in the fifth with runners on the corners, but Valdez struck out Andrew McCutchen to end the rally Pittsburgh’s starter Mitch Keller struggled, surrendering six runs over 1/3 innings as his season record fell to 1-8.
This loss drops the Pirates to four defeats in their last six games, while the Astros look ahead to a weekend series in Cleveland. Pittsburgh will try to regroup as they host the Phillies next, hoping to recapture the spark that earned them a shutout win earlier in the series.
