Inside the Astros

Houston Astros Put On Offensive Clinic, Defeat Pirates

The Houston Astros are on a winning streak after an offensive outpouring helped take down the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.
Kade Kistner|
Houston Astros Put On Offensive Clinic, Defeat Pirates
Houston Astros Put On Offensive Clinic, Defeat Pirates

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The Houston Astros (5-6) are finally on winning streak again, their first since winning their second and third games of the season against the Chicago White Sox.

Their 8-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates (6-4) was perhaps their most encouraging victory of the season. While the Astros offense hasn't been downright atrocious, it hasn't lived up to their lofty standards. 

The pitching has been even more dreadful, allowing 4.4 runs per game this season. 

On Monday, both sides got it together and put together excellent performances. 

Framber Valdez took the mound for the Astros in his third start of the season and expectedly dazzled. The ace turned in another 7.0 innings pitched performance and allowed just two earned runs on the evening. 

The bullpen then came in and pitched two scoreless innings. 

Pitching staff got their job done, check.

The offense, who, once again has been bad but hasn't be great either, looked the latter on Monday.

Right fielder Kyle Tucker was incredible on the evening. He got the scoring started in the first with an RBI-single that scored Alex Bregman. 

Second baseman Mauricio Dubon got the scoring started in the second with an RBI-single that scored Jeremy Peña. Yordan Alvarez then notched a single to score Dubon. 

Tucker continued to stay hot when in the fourth hit singled home Bregman and Alvarez to make it a 7-1 game. 

The final run scored came off of a Bregman single to score Chas McCormick in the seventh. 

Tucker, Dubon and Alvarez all notched multi-hit nights, the two latter recording three. 

Perhaps the most encouraging performance came from Bregman who has struggled mightily at the plate this season. He drew three walks and notched an RBI-single. That should help his abysmal OPS which was .411 coming into Monday night's affair. 

This might just be the kickstart this Houston squad needed. 

They will look to extend their winning streak to three on Tuesday when they take on the Pirates in their second game of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. CT and Cristian Javier will take the mound for the Astros. 

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  3. Report: Former Astros Pitcher Fiers' Contract Terminated By CPBL Club
  4. Six Houston Astros Declared Free Agents
  5. Watch: Yordan Álvarez's Home Run Wins Astros World Series
  6. Lucas Giolito Claims All Teams Were Cheating in 2017
  7. Dusty Baker Makes His Thoughts Known on Bonds and Judge Records
  8. Is it Time to Move on From the Houston Astros Cheating Scandal?
  9. Is There Any Hope for an Aging Yuli Gurriel?
  10. Astros' Álvarez Stopped Striking Out and Became the Best Hitter in Baseball

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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.

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