Musgrove sets up shutout in Minute Maid return

HOUSTON -- Joe Musgrove had been looking forward to this start for a while.

He made a mental note months ago, memorizing when the Pirates would be playing in Houston. He inwardly hoped his turn in the rotation would come up during the three days that his current team would be playing his former team, in the very ballpark where he experienced one of his greatest career triumphs.

It did, and Musgrove capitalized on it, shutting out the Astros over six innings, as the Pirates rolled to a 10-0 win to capture the series and hand the Astros their first series loss of the season at home.

It's fair to say Musgrove, the pitcher of record of the Astros' epic Game 5 World Series win over the Dodgers in 2017, was extra fired up for this outing. While he couldn't have known his offense would steamroll Astros pitching for a second game in a row, his approach, with or without the run support, was clearly a sound one.

"I tried not to prepare any differently for this start," Musgrove said. "But going out and getting warmed up for the game and coming into the dugout, I don't think I've been that focused for a while, that locked in."

It showed.

Musgrove, a main component of the five-player trade on Jan. 13, 2018, that sent Gerrit Cole to Houston, did not allow a walk, struck out five and pitched efficiently throughout, needing just 83 pitches while holding Houston to nine hits -- all singles.

“He made pitches throughout,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “He limited the barrel. He limited hard contact. I love the fact his first-pitch strikes were so efficient -- I think it was 19 out of 26, and he had 11 guys retired on three pitches or less. He had one three-ball count, no walks on the day. He was on attack from the start."

That's how a pitcher has to approach a Houston lineup that, with or without injuries to key players, has been one of the most productive in baseball from the first week of the season. Few pitchers understand this better than Musgrove, who pitched for Houston from 2016-17 and was the beneficiary of plenty of run support during his brief time with the Astros.

That may have also helped him navigate through traffic on the basepaths that wound up amounting to very little.

"You know they're going to get their hits," Musgrove said. "Execution is a big thing -- when I executed, I got them out, and when I didn't execute, they got knocks. To be able to scatter the hits like I did, get a guy on and then get the next guy out immediately, was important."

Also important: The four runs the Pirates had already scored before Musgrove's first trip to the mound. Two of the Bucs' five homers arrived in that opening frame, including a first-pitch, leadoff homer by Kevin Newman that got the party started. Corey Dickerson added a two-run shot later in the inning.

"This atmosphere is really tough here," Musgrove said. "They definitely have home-field advantage, knowing that having played for them. It's easy to let that get into your head as a visiting team coming in. Having an offense go out and give me a four-run lead to start, it quieted the crowd down a little bit and allowed me to just attack guys with my weapons."

Stallings shines, then hits the 'shower'

The Pirates outscored the Astros, 25-7, during the three-game series, and they also were able to pull off a series win -- something no visiting team had accomplished in the prior 12 series played at Minute Maid Park this season.

There was a lot to celebrate, but the Pirates managed to target one particular high achiever as they packed up the clubhouse and prepared to head to Milwaukee.

Catcher Jacob Stallings contributed the Bucs' fifth and final home run, a one-out solo shot in the sixth off Cy Sneed -- making his MLB debut -- that put an out-of-reach game even more into orbit. It was Stallings’ first big league home run, and he received special treatment, in the form of a beer, mouthwash and shaving cream shower by his teammates immediately following the game.

“I tasted some [soda], too," Stallings said.

The “outpouring” of affection from his teammates was well-earned. The 29-year-old logged three hits on the day and received high praise from Musgrove for his performance behind the plate.

"It's just one of those days you're feeling in a really good position," Stallings said. "You get pitches to hit. Our guys were doing it all day. It wasn't just me. It was fun to have a good day like that."