The Houston Astros defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-2 last night in the opening game of a three-game series at PNC Park. Pirates starting pitcher Roansy Contreras was knocked out of the game in the fourth inning after allowing seven earned runs on nine hits. He walked four, hit a batter and had a wild pitch. The Pirates managed just three hits in the game.
The Bucs and Astros play again tonight at 6:35pm.
The Pirates brought up infielder Mark Mathias from Triple-A Indianapolis to replace injured Oneil Cruz. Cruz had successful surgery on his lower leg, and will likely miss up to four months.
Outfielder Bryan Reynolds was named the National League Player of the Week after his hot start. He batted .480 with two doubles, a triple and four home runs. Reynolds also drove in 12 runs. He is the first Pirates player to receive the honor since Adam Frazier in July of 2019.