MLB GAME RECAP

Fister, home runs power surging Astros past Pirates

The Sports Xchange

August 22, 2016 at 9:42 pm.

Aug 22, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA;  Houston Astros starting pitcher Doug Fister (58) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Aug 22, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Doug Fister (58) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH — Doug Fister pitched three-hit ball for seven scoreless innings and Teoscar Hernandez and Alex Bregman hit home runs as the Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 on Monday night at PNC Park.

Houston has won four games in a row after a four-game losing streak.
Pittsburgh lost its fourth straight and fell two games behind Miami and four behind St. Louis, which holds the second National League wild-card spot.

Fister (12-8) allowed only one baserunner though the first 4 2/3 innings when he walked David Freese in the second before Gregory Polanco doubled with two outs in the fourth. He finished with six strikeouts and one walk.

Fister leads the Astros in wins and in quality starts with 16.

Ken Giles pitched the ninth for his fourth save of the season, giving up a run on Gregory Polanco’s two-out double and Freese’s infield single and a Houston throwing error.

Pirates starter Jameson Taillon (3-3) allowed two runs and four hits in eight innings, walking one and striking out a career-high eight. He got off to a strong start, giving up just one hit and striking out five through four scoreless innings.

Taillon has been charged with just six earned runs in his past four starts and the Pirates had won seven of his past eight starts.

Both starters breezed through the first four innings before Taillon got into some trouble in the fifth. He walked A.J. Reed and went to 3-1 on Hernandez, who then sent his third homer into the left-field stands for a 2-0 Houston lead.

Jason Castro followed with a double down the left-field line and Jake Marisnick reached on a bunt to put runners on the corners with no outs.
Taillon got out of it with no further damage when he struck out Fister and got George Springer to ground into a double play.

Bregman made it 3-0 when led off the eighth with his fourth homer of the season, off Neftali Feliz, who relieved Taillon.

NOTES: Pittsburgh 1B/3B David Freese signed a two-year contract extension, beginning in 2017, with a club option for 2019. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Freese will get $6.25 million 2017, $4.25 million in 2018 and his 2019 club option is for $6 million with a $500,000 buyout. Freese, 33, is in his first season with the Pirates. That makes three Pirates who have signed multiyear deals since the start of the season. The others are RF Gregory Polanco and C Francisco Cervelli. … 1B Josh Bell was in the Pittsburgh starting lineup for the second game in a row and the second time in his career. He was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis for the second time on Saturday. … The Astros opted not to start Cuban prospect Yulieski Gurriel, which would have put him in the field in the National League park. He made his major league debut Sunday as Houston’s designated hitter. … This was the first meeting between the Pirates and Astros since May 17-19, 2013, also at PNC Park. … This is Pittsburgh’s final interleague series this season. Houston has an interleague series remaining against the Cubs on Sept. 9-11.

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