Hunter Brown was virtually unhittable on the mound, firing six scoreless innings and striking out seven Colorado Rockies as the Houston Astros extended their winning streak to six games with a 5-2 triumph on Tuesday night.
Brown’s dominance propelled him to his fourth consecutive victory, as he limited the Rockies to just two hits and cemented his status as a force to be reckoned with in the American League.
The Astros’ offense erupted in the first inning, teeing off on starter Austin Gomber for five runs that set the tone for the rest of the game.
Jose Altuve sparked the rally with a leadoff single, and Alex Bregman, Yainer Diaz, and Jake Meyers all followed with run-scoring hits. Chas McCormick’s two-run single was the icing on the cake, giving the Astros a 5-0 lead that would prove insurmountable.
Gomber settled down after the rocky first inning, but the damage was already done. He surrendered eight hits and struck out four over 5 1/3 innings, taking his fourth straight loss.
The Rockies’ offense, meanwhile, was unable to solve Brown’s puzzle, managing only a pair of singles over the first three innings. Ezequiel Tovar’s single in the fourth inning was the team’s first hit, but Brown promptly extinguished the threat with a pair of quick outs.
The Astros’ bullpen took over in the seventh, with Seth Martinez and Josh Hader combining to shut the door on the Rockies’ comeback bid. Hader struck out Brenton Doyle with two outs in the ninth to secure the win, capping off a stellar performance by the Astros’ pitching staff.
With this victory, the Astros moved within one game of the .500 mark, buoyed by Brown’s ace-like performance and a balanced offensive attack that showed no signs of slowing down.