MILWAUKEE (AP) — Adrian Houser allowed two hits in 5 1/3 scoreless innings and the Milwaukee Brewers homered three times in a 4-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday afternoon.
Willy Adames hit a two-run blast in the first inning to put the Brewers ahead for good. Owen Miller and Brian Anderson added solo shots in the seventh.
After homering four times off 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes and posting their highest hit and run totals of the season in a 12-2 victory Monday, the Astros went scoreless in the final two games of this series. Colin Rea and four relievers combined on a five-hitter Tuesday in the Brewers' 6-0 triumph that ended Houston's eight-game winning streak.
The Astros mustered four hits Wednesday, two off their season low.
Houser, who spent April recovering from a right groin strain, struck out three andwalked one in his fourth appearance of the season. This comes five days after he pitched six shutout innings in a 1-0 loss at Tampa Bay.
His surge is a huge lift for a Brewers pitching staff that is dealing with shoulder injuries to two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff, Eric Lauer, Wade Miley and Aaron Ashby.
The Brewers got all the offense they would need in the first inning against Astros starter Brandon Bielak (1-2). After Christian Yelich led off with a double to left, Willy Adames delivered a 429-foot blast over the center-field wall.
Bielak held the Brewers in check before running out of gas in the seventh, when Miller hit a leadoff homer to center and Anderson added a two-out shot to right-center. Miller is batting .400 (24 of 60) this month and has three homers in his last five games.
Houston had one hit against Houser through the first five innings before threatening in the sixth. Mauricio Dubón reached on an error by first baseman Rowdy Tellez with one out and advanced to third on Alex Bregman’s double to left.
Joel Payamps replaced Houser and got out of the jam by striking out Yordan Alvarez and retiring Kyle Tucker on a fly to center. Payamps has inherited 13 runners this season, and only one of them has scored.
Bryse Wilson, Jake Cousins and Hoby Milner combined to allow two hits and no walks over the final three innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: 2B Jose Altuve wasn't in the lineup after leaving Tuesday's game with an illness. Houston manager Dusty Baker noted this would give the eight-time All-Star two days to get better before their weekend series at Oakland since the Astros are off Thursday.
UP NEXT
Astros: Off Thursday before beginning a three-game series at Oakland on Friday.
Brewers: Start a four-game home series with the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.
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