Nothing separated Houston and Detroit until the final two innings. The Astros trailed entering the eighth, then scored three times to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 victory before 31,244 fans at Daikin Park on Tuesday.
Framber Valdez, pitching for Detroit, was the best arm on the field. He worked 6.0 innings, allowing 1 run — 0 earned — on 6 hits with 6 strikeouts and 3 walks on 92 pitches. The run he allowed came in the fifth on a passed ball, not a hit. Most nights, that kind of start wins. It did not on this one. Keider Montero followed and could not hold the lead in the eighth, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits in 1.1 innings and taking the loss to fall to 3-5 with a 3.67 ERA.
Detroit had taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth when Dillon Dingler's sacrifice fly to center scored Hao Yu Lee. But Houston answered immediately. Raynel Delgado singled to center, scoring both Yainer Diaz and Cam Smith to put the Astros ahead 3-2. One batter later, Peña grounded into a fielder's choice, and Loperfido scored to extend the lead to 4-2 — a call that was overturned after a Houston challenge.
Hunter Brown had kept Detroit in check through most of the game, striking out 7 over 5.2 innings while allowing 1 run on 3 hits. Bryan King worked the eighth, allowing the tying run before the Astros' offense bailed him out, and earned the win to improve to 2-1. Josh Hader closed it out with a scoreless ninth — 1 hit, 1 strikeout — for his third save of the season, carrying a 0.00 ERA.
Detroit has now lost two straight and sits at 29-42, fourth in its division. Houston improved to 33-40, also fourth in its division, though the win snapped a one-game skid. Delgado, hitting .429 on the season, drove in both of his season RBI in the eighth inning alone.