Astros' struggles providing Brown with run support continue

HOUSTON -- Hunter Brown twirled his third straight quality start Sunday, but for the third straight outing, Brown was left without a win as the Astros’ offense couldn’t muster enough support.

Brown allowed three runs on five hits and struck out seven across six innings, but the Astros fell in a 4-3 loss to the Twins at Minute Maid Park, losing two out of three to Minnesota.

It was the third straight outing that Brown has gotten through six innings. However, he is 0-1 with two no-decisions in those appearances, while the Astros have scored only seven runs over those three starts.

In Brown’s four quality starts this season, the Astros are 0-4.

“As a starting pitcher in this league, you want to go out there and give the boys a shot,” Brown said. “Soon, it’s going to turn and lead to a ‘W.’”

Brown had a balanced attack Sunday, throwing his knuckle curveball 23 times, sinker 22 times, four-seam fastball 19 times, splitter 17 times and cutter 11 times.

“Over the course of the game or the season, things change whether it’s Victor [Caratini] back there behind the plate or it’s the approach that maybe we have with some guys,” Brown said. “I think each day is a new day, and you’ve got to go out there and compete. Some days certain things are maybe better than others, so you might rely on them a little bit more than maybe a different time.”

Brown’s first-inning struggles continued as Trevor Larnach led off the ballgame with a home run. Brown has allowed 17 runs in the first inning this season. He also allowed a game-tying homer to Jose Miranda in the sixth.

“He’s pounding the zone with his fastball,” Houston manager Joe Espada said. “He’s getting ahead in the count. Two pitches, those home runs there cost him some, but if he goes out there and gives us that performance every time out, he’s giving us a chance to win. He’s moving in the right direction each start. He continues to get better. That’s what we want to see out of him.”

After Alex Kirilloff hit an RBI double in the second, Brown settled down and retired nine straight Twins batters.

“I thought I took some chances,” Brown said. “Sometimes it worked out, and sometimes guys put some good swings on some balls. Miranda put a really good swing out there in the sixth to tie the game up. All in all, I felt pretty decent about my stuff today.”

For a second straight day, Houston’s defense was stellar.

In the fifth, Alex Bregman threw out Carlos Santana, who was trying to stretch a single into a double, from left field with a pinpoint throw to second. In the sixth, Mauricio Dubón ranged to his right, making a sliding stab at a ground ball and throwing Ryan Jeffers out at first. Yordan Alvarez made a sliding catch against the wall on a Willi Castro fly ball in foul territory in the seventh.

Houston’s offense, however, continued to be reliant on the long ball.

Caratini hit a solo homer to right in the second, and Bregman hit a two-run shot to left in the third. Bregman homered for the third time in four games and fourth time in the last six games.

Houston hit seven home runs in the three-game series and scored all nine of its runs via the homer.

“You like to see homers,” Espada said. “This is a team that is known for slugging and driving the ball out of the ballpark and hitting balls hard. We also are good at getting those insurance runs in, and right now, the last couple games it has been tough for us to do that.

“You go through stretches where pitchers are making good pitches. We try the best we can to get those guys in, and sometimes, it doesn’t go your way.”

The Astros finished 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base, including leaving the bases loaded in the seventh.

“We had chances throughout the game to get a run or two in there and score a couple runs to extend our lead,” Espada said. “Hunter did a phenomenal job. He was really, really good. He gave us a chance to win. We just couldn’t do enough to pull off this win.”