Astros Shut Out Orioles 4-0 in Camden Yards Openers

Houston, MD—The Houston Astros increased their lead in the American League West by defeating the Baltimore Orioles, 4–0. This was the first game of their four-game series at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Thursday night.

Christian Walker put Houston on the board with a two-run homer in the first inning. He sent a 391-foot drive to left field off Orioles starter Brandon Young, giving Houston a 2–0 lead. In the second inning, Carlos Correa hit an RBI single to center. This brought in Mauricio Dubón. He later added another run with a fielder’s-choice groundout, scoring Jeremy Melton. The score was 4–0.

Right-hander Jason Alexander (3–1, 4.74 ERA) pitched for Houston. He had a strong outing, going six scoreless innings. He allowed two hits, struck out five, and walked one. Alexander didn’t play a role in the decision. Still, he improved his season record to 3–1. Last time against Baltimore, he allowed only two runs in six innings.

Orioles rookie Brandon Young (1–7, 5.68 ERA) made his second home start. He gave up four runs on five hits and one walk in just 1.2 innings. This loss brought his season record to 1–7.

Houston’s bullpen threw three scoreless innings to maintain the shutout. This win pushed the Astros to 69–58 overall and 31–31 on the road. Baltimore fell to 59–67 while seeing its recent three-game win streak snapped.

Game two of the series is on Friday night. Left-hander Justin Verlander will face right-hander Dean Kremer from Baltimore.