<\/p>\n
After some uneven outings in his return from a shoulder injury, the Astros saw the version of Hunter Brown they expect against the White Sox as their win streak hit five games Saturday.<\/p>\n
Paul Beaty\/AP Photo\/Paul Beaty<\/p>\n
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 25: Cam Smith #11 of the Houston Astros makes a catch in the bottom of the first inning of a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on July 25, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Matt Dirksen\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 25: Jeremy Pe\u00f1a #3 and Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros celebrate after scoring in the sixth inning of a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on July 25, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Matt Dirksen\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Houston Astros starter Hunter Brown delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Paul Beaty)<\/p>\n
Paul Beaty\/AP Photo\/Paul Beaty<\/p>\n
Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena reacts after striking out during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Paul Beaty)<\/p>\n
Paul Beaty\/AP Photo\/Paul Beaty<\/p>\n
Houston Astros’ Cam Smith (11) reacts after striking out during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Paul Beaty)<\/p>\n
Paul Beaty\/AP Photo\/Paul Beaty<\/p>\n
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 25: Isaac Paredes #15 of the Houston Astros hits an RBI single in the sixth inning of a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on July 25, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Matt Dirksen\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez (44) celebrates with teammate Jeremy Pena (3) after scoring on a Isaac Paredes three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Paul Beaty)<\/p>\n
Paul Beaty\/AP Photo\/Paul Beaty<\/p>\n
Houston Astros’ Isaac Paredes watches his three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Paul Beaty)<\/p>\n
Paul Beaty\/AP Photo\/Paul Beaty<\/p>\n
Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena (3) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring on a Isaac Paredes three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Paul Beaty)<\/p>\n
Paul Beaty\/AP Photo\/Paul Beaty<\/p>\n
Houston Astros’ Isaac Paredes watches his RBI single during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Paul Beaty)<\/p>\n
Paul Beaty\/AP Photo\/Paul Beaty<\/p>\n
Houston Astros’ Cam Smith (11) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring on a Isaac Paredes three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Paul Beaty)<\/p>\n
Paul Beaty\/AP Photo\/Paul Beaty<\/p>\n
Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena (3) scores on a Isaac Paredes three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Paul Beaty)<\/p>\n
Paul Beaty\/AP Photo\/Paul Beaty<\/p>\n
Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena (3) celebrates with teammate Cam Smith (11) after scoring on a Isaac Paredes three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Paul Beaty)<\/p>\n
Paul Beaty\/AP Photo\/Paul Beaty<\/p>\n
Houston Astros’ Cam Smith (11) scores on a Isaac Paredes three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Paul Beaty)<\/p>\n
Paul Beaty\/AP Photo\/Paul Beaty<\/p>\n
CHICAGO\u00a0\u2014 A hint arrived on the 10th pitch of a vintage performance. Breaking off curveballs built a two-strike count on Munetaka Murakami, the biggest threat for a surprising White Sox lineup. Hunter Brown reached back for a four-seam fastball.<\/p>\n
It blew in at 98.4 mph, the right-hander\u2019s fastest pitch to that point in an injury-shortened season, along the outer corner. Paralyzed, Murakami could not start his swing on time or check it. Power and precision met to send him back to his dugout.<\/p>\n
Personifying the blend earned Brown his \u201cDiesel\u201d moniker and mantle as Houston Astros<\/a> ace. A starting rotation with the third-highest ERA in the majors and its makeup in flux needs that version of him badly. His first three starts of a pivotal July did not display it.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Saturday, in a 4-1 Astros win over Chicago<\/a>, it reappeared. Brown bulled his way through seven scoreless innings. He challenged hitters in the zone, wielded an extra tick of velocity and induced a slew of whiffs. He gave his lineup time to build a lead, then guarded it.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s Hunter Brown right there,\u201d manager Joe Espada said. \u201cThat is Hunter Brown.\u201d<\/p>\n It is the version Houston all but has to receive to contend over the next two months. No trade deadline acquisition the Astros appear poised to make promises the kind of impact that last year\u2019s third-place AL Cy Young finisher can have on their beleaguered rotation.<\/p>\n In his first six starts back from a shoulder strain, Brown posted a 5.22 ERA, battling shaky command and feel for his four-seamer. Walk numbers were atypical and kept Brown from working deep into games. In three of those outings, he did not finish five innings.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI hold myself to a standard to be the best version of myself that I can be for this team,\u201d Brown said Saturday night. \u201cAnd I thought, quite frankly, I was\u00a0underperforming that. It wasn\u2019t due to lack of preparation or mentality or anything like that, it was just simply not executing at the level that I know that I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Timing added to the urgency for Brown to rediscover it. His last outing before Saturday occurred in a loss to Baltimore<\/a> that left the Astros seven games under .500 two weeks before the Aug. 3 trade deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n They have since won five games in a row, matching their longest streak of the season. Behind Brown, the Astros ended the night Saturday in second place in the AL West, two games back of the Rangers.<\/p>\n \u201cI just think it\u2019s just time,\u201d Espada said. \u201cI know mechanically he\u2019s been working on a few things, but I think you\u2019ve just got to give him some time. He knows his craft very well. He\u2019ll figure it out. \u2026 He sees the calendar, he knows where we\u2019re at. And he\u2019ll show up.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown said his work has focused on timing in his delivery. Missing high with his four-seamer told him he needed to \u201cget a little bit more on top of the ball\u201d and make sure to \u201cdrive the four through the zone.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like my stuff has increasingly gotten better over the last couple weeks,\u201d Brown said. \u201cEven (facing) Baltimore, I felt good about my curveball and the way that my fastball was working, I just simply lost too many hitters. So I knew I was kind of trending in the right direction and I knew I wasn\u2019t too far away.\u201d<\/p>\n BATTERS Team Totals Alvarez Pe\u00f1a Correa Delgado Paredes Shewmake Allen Altuve Walker Diaz Dezenzo Trammell Harris Loperfido V\u00e1zquez Smith Meyers Matthews Wade Spence Price Cole Johnson Whitcomb Salazar ___<\/p>\n PITCHERS Team Totals Ullola Meyers Santa Hader VanWey Okert Lambert King Brown Pearson Blubaugh De Los Santos Teng Sousa Arrighetti Abreu Roa Bolton Imai Burrows McCullers Murray Weiss Blanco France Salazar Alexander Javier Gordon Mu\u00f1oz Results with the fastball Saturday suggested a breakthrough. Brown averaged 96.9 mph on the pitch, up from 95.9 mph previously this season. He finished four of seven strikeouts with it. He also generated six whiffs on 12 swings against his sinker, touching 98.6 mph and throwing 15 to left-handed hitters.<\/p>\n After issuing 15 walks over his previous three starts\u00a0\u2014 including a career-high six walks against Baltimore\u00a0\u2014 Brown did not walk a batter Saturday. He threw 67% strikes, boosted by his generating 20 whiffs on 47 swings, tied for second-most by an Astros starter this year. Five came on 10 swings against his curveball.<\/p>\n \u201cHe looked pissed, too,\u201d Espada said. \u201cI thought he came out there and he was pissed. \u2026 He was tired of the performances. He wanted to show up today and give us an opportunity to win a series.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n On a night Houston needed depth from its starter, after its bullpen worked eight innings Friday, Brown was dominant. He allowed two hits, both singles. No White Sox runner reached second base against him. Brown retired his final 12 batters in a row, just two of whom hit a ball out of the infield.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the pitcher who he really is,\u201d third baseman Isaac Paredes said, through an interpreter. \u201cAnd he looked very nasty today.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown finished the seventh inning at 90 pitches. Espada said he considered sending Brown back for the eighth but decided that was enough. Brown sustained his velocity, touching 98.6 mph in his sixth inning and 97.5 in the seventh. He departed with a four-run lead that three relievers preserved.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It is a formula that could lend stability to a rotation that is still fluid. Brown, who had never been on the injured list before a shoulder strain that cost him 2 \u00bd months in the first half, was always meant to front it. Saturday offered the clearest reminder since his return of why.<\/p>\n \u201cAs you play not how you\u2019d want to, you\u2019re going to want to play better,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t necessarily say I came out tonight like, \u2018I absolutely want to do so much better than I do on any other given night.\u2019 But it was good to help contribute to the team.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After some uneven outings in his return from a shoulder injury, the Astros saw the version of Hunter…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":386749,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,58,57],"class_list":["post-386857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386857\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/386749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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