Hunter Brown looked more like the pitcher the Houston Astros expected Friday night.
After struggling to command his fastball in his previous outing against the Texas Rangers, Brown bounced back with one of his sharpest starts since returning from the injured list, helping lead the Astros to an 11-2 victory at Daikin Park.
Brown, who missed 77 days after suffering a shoulder injury in late March, continued to show signs of settling back into form. The right-hander returned to the rotation in June with a 5.22 ERA through his first six starts, but Friday’s performance marked another step forward.
In his last outing against the Rangers — a 7-3 Astros loss on July 10 — Brown said he struggled to locate his four-seam fastball, one of the foundations of his arsenal. In his past two outings, that pitch has returned.
On Friday, Brown averaged 96.7 mph on his four-seam fastball and reached 98.4 mph for the second consecutive start, consistently limiting the Rangers’ opportunities for hard contact.
Texas made Brown work early, stringing together several lengthy at-bats that quickly elevated his pitch count. Rather than unravel, Brown adjusted, finding a quicker rhythm over the middle innings by attacking the strike zone and generating early contact outs.
“I thought they had a really good approach against me,” Brown said. “I thought they fouled off some really good pitches, and then, you know, I was able to come out on top on some of those longer at-bats.”
Brown held the Rangers scoreless through five innings but gave up two runs in the sixth. Enyel De Los Santos relieved him with two outs to close the inning.
The Astros’ offense made Brown’s job easier by staking him to an early lead that only grew as the night progressed. Houston’s lineup continued its recent surge, providing the run support Brown said allowed him to be more aggressive instead of pitching around hitters.
“Offense did a wonderful job,” Brown said. “There was a lot of cushion there to attack guys and try and get some quick outs.”
Brown threw a season-high 104 pitches, including 70 strikes, in 5⅔ innings. He allowed six hits, two runs and two walks while striking out five. The outing lowered his ERA to 3.42, the second-best mark among Astros starters behind right-hander Peter Lambert.
Houston’s recent stretch has mirrored Brown’s resurgence. After dropping its first three games following the All-Star break, the Astros have responded by winning nine of their past 10 games, climbing back above .500 and reclaiming first place in the AL West.
“The team worked really, really hard to get to this point,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “We have battled injuries, some ups and downs, and they just come to work every day with the right attitude, the right mindset.”