The Astros opened their final homestand of the regular season with a 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night at Daikin Park, improving to 76-75 with 11 games remaining.
Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez supplied all four Astros hits and drove in all four runs, while Hunter Brown struck out 10 over five innings and the bullpen protected the lead the rest of the way.
Peña Breaks Out With Two Homers
Peña entered Tuesday mired in a prolonged slump. He was batting .170 with a .518 OPS since Aug. 3 and had gone just 7-for-47 to begin September. He needed exactly one pitch to change the tone of the night.
Leading off the bottom of the first, Peña crushed Michael Wacha’s first pitch—a cutter over the middle—440 feet to left-center for his 18th home run of the season. It was the second-longest homer of Peña’s career and gave Houston an immediate 1-0 lead.
Peña struck again in the third, sending a curveball into the Crawford Boxes for No. 19 and a 2-0 Astros lead. It was his fifth career multi-homer game and third this season. He added a two-out single in the fifth, finishing 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs.
Brown Piles Up the Strikeouts
Brown was sharp from the beginning, striking out five of the first nine Royals he faced and keeping Kansas City hitless through three innings. He finished with one run allowed on two hits and three walks over five innings, tying his season high with 10 strikeouts.
The Royals made him work late. Brown escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the fourth by striking out Vinnie Pasquantino and Michael Massey. In the fifth, he appeared to have another strikeout to end the inning, but Isaac Collins successfully challenged the call, drew a walk, stole second, and scored on Carter Jensen’s double to cut Houston’s lead to 2-1.
Brown needed 47 pitches to record his final six outs and finished at 91 pitches. With a rested bullpen following Monday’s off day, Houston turned the game over to the relievers after five. He finished the night with a 3.43 ERA in 97 innings this season.
Brown generated 15 whiffs on 36 swings, including 10 with his sinker and curveball. He also threw his slider harder than usual, primarily against left-handed hitters, while mostly shelving his changeup.
Alvarez Launches No. 39
The Astros answered Kansas City’s first run immediately. Peña singled with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, bringing Alvarez to the plate. On a full-count changeup from Wacha, Alvarez drove a two-run homer to right field to extend Houston’s lead to 4-1.
It was Alvarez’s 39th home run of the season but just his fourth in his last 36 games. The Triple Crown contender finished 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBIs.
Peña and Alvarez combined to go 4-for-6 with three home runs, four RBIs, three walks, and three runs scored. Every other Astros hitter combined to go 0-for-22 without a walk. Houston entered the night with the third-fewest runs scored in the majors since Aug. 3.
Bullpen Protects the Lead
Bennett Sousa took over for Brown in the sixth and allowed a solo home run to Pasquantino that trimmed the lead to 4-2. He retired the other three batters he faced before AJ Blubaugh worked a perfect seventh.
Bryan Abreu followed with a clean eighth, retiring Carter Jensen, Bobby Witt Jr., and Jac Caglianone in order. Josh Hader allowed a one-out single to Salvador Perez and uncorked a wild pitch in the ninth but stranded Perez at second, striking out Tyler Tolbert to end the game and earn his 26th save.
Astros Mark Roberto Clemente Day
Several Astros wore No. 21 as MLB observed Roberto Clemente Day on Tuesday. Peña, Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Yainer Diaz, manager Joe Espada, Christian Vázquez, Nelson Velázquez, and hitting coach Victor Rodriguez were among those who wore Clemente’s number.
Hader also wore No. 21 and was recognized before the game as the Astros’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award for the second consecutive year. The award recognizes players for character, community involvement, philanthropy, and contributions on and off the field.
Astros Remain Atop AL West
The victory moved Houston to 76-75 and kept the Astros atop the AL West with 11 games remaining. Texas also won Tuesday night, leaving the Astros’ division lead at one game.
The Astros and Royals continue the series Wednesday at Daikin Park. Cristian Javier is scheduled to start for Houston against Kansas City left-hander Daniel Lynch IV, with first pitch at 7:10 p.m. CT.
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