Key Inning Sets Tone
The game’s decisive moment arrived in the third inning when Houston’s offense broke through against Arizona starter Merrill Kelly. Yainer Diaz launched a 383-foot home run to left center, giving the visiting Diamondbacks an early 1-0 lead that quickly evaporated.
Houston responded immediately within the same frame. Alex Bregman singled, advancing to second before Paredes doubled into left field, driving in Bregman to tie the score at 1-1. Alvarez then moved to third base on the play. Altuve followed with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Alvarez and putting the Astros ahead 3-1.
Pitching Performances
Merrill Kelly took the loss for Arizona (9-13), allowing three earned runs on seven hits over six innings while striking out four batters without issuing a walk. Justin Martinez and Derek Law combined to retire the final three batters, each pitching one scoreless inning with two and zero strikeouts respectively.
For Houston, Cristian Javier earned the win (2-5) by working five innings. He allowed one earned run on a single hit but walked three batters while striking out eight. The bullpen work was critical in preserving the lead.
Enyel De Los Santos pitched 0.1 innings, allowing one hit and one walk with no strikeouts. Bennett Sousa followed with 1.1 innings of relief, giving up one hit and two walks while recording two strikeouts.
