The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Houston Astros 6-2 last night. Bailey Falter returned from the Injured List and pitched into the sixth inning. He allowed two runs, one earned, and did not walk a batter in his first start since July 6th. For the second straight night, outfielder Michael A. Taylor hit a home run. Connor Joe led the Bucs with three hits. Every Pirates batter had a hit, with the exception of Oneil Cruz, who struck out in four of his five at-bats.
The Pirates complete their series in Houston tonight at 8:10pm. Pre-game on WISR begins at 7:40pm.
Another player is headed to the Injured List. The Pirates have placed reliever Carmen Mlodzinski (Mo-Jin-skee) on the 15-day list with a shoulder strain. They have selected the contract of right-hander Jake Woodward, who will start tonight’s game. Woodward was picked up this season after being released by the Chicago White Sox. He had a 2.29 ERA over seven starts for Triple-A Indianapolis.
The Bucs are off tomorrow, then begin a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday night.
The Pirates and Cardinals both picked up a game on the first-place Milwaukee Brewers, who lost last night. The teams are six games behind the N.L. Central and remain two games back in the Wild Card chase. The Pirates have gone 15-9 overall in the month of July.