Oneil Cruz bashed a three-run, go-ahead home run, fueling a four-run sixth inning as the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates rallied for a 10-6 victory over the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game interleague series Tuesday.
Cruz belted the second of two homers off Astros right-hander Mike Burrows, who made his first start against his former club. Burrows (3-7) spent his first two seasons with the Pirates before arriving in Houston via a three-team offseason trade.
Endy Rodriguez (2-for-4, three RBIs) smacked the first homer against Burrows in the second, a two-run blast to right-center field initially ruled an RBI triple that scored Nick Gonzales. A replay review reversed the call and credited Rodriguez with a game-tying homer.
The Astros spotted Burrows a 2-0 lead in the first after Jeremy Pena stroked a leadoff single and Yordan Alvarez followed with a two-run, opposite-field blast. Alvarez drove his American League-leading 21st home run 363 feet to left-center field off Pirates starter Bubba Chandler.
The Astros reclaimed the lead in the third when Christian Walker roped an RBI single to left that scored Pena, and extended their advantage an inning later when Pena hit a fielder’s choice that plated Brice Matthews.
Chandler (2-6) allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts over five innings. The right-hander snapped a seven-start winless streak in Pittsburgh’s fourth straight victory.
Burrows walked Ryan O’Hearn to open the sixth and surrendered a single to Gonzales to set the table for Cruz, who drilled a 2-2 slider 419 feet into the home bullpen in right-center. Cruz gave the Pirates a 5-4 lead with his 14th homer, a total that tied Brandon Lowe for the club lead. Two innings later, Lowe reclaimed pole position.
With two on and one out in the eighth, Lowe golfed a slider from Astros reliever Bryan Abreu off the right-field foul pole for his 15th homer, plating Jake Mangum and Jared Triolo. Lowe and Mangum were shipped from Tampa Bay to Pittsburgh as part of the trade that landed Burrows in Houston.
Burrows allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits and five walks with three strikeouts over five-plus innings. He has surrendered an AL-high 15 homers.
Pena and Alvarez recorded consecutive RBI singles off Pirates reliever Dennis Santana with one out in the ninth. Geovany Soto came on and struck out Walker and Isaac Paredes for his eighth save.
