Pirates beat Houston 3-0 as Mike Burrows shuts down Astros to pick up first win
Pittsburgh's Mike Burrows held Houston in check into the sixth inning to pick up the first victory of his career as a starter as the Pirates topped the Astros 3-0 on Wednesday night.
Burrows (1-1), whose rise through the Pirates system was slowed by Tommy John surgery in 2023, allowed five hits and struck out six in 5 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old right-hander took a significant step forward after giving up eight runs in 8 1/3 innings across his first two starts since being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis.
David Bednar worked the ninth for his seventh save.
Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz had two hits apiece for Pittsburgh, which snapped a two-game skid. Andrew McCutchen and Isiah Kiner-Falefa both drove in runs against Houston starter Ryan Gusto (3-3) in the second inning to give Burrows all the offense he would need.
Jeremy Peña had two of Houston's seven hits as the Astros lost for just the third time in their last 10 games.
Gusto, who has split time between the bullpen and the starting rotation, labored through 4 1/3 innings. He needed 83 pitches to record 13 outs and was pulled with two on and one out in the fifth. Gusto allowed three runs on eight hits, with two walks and three strikeouts. The right-hander is 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA in his last six appearances.
Houston's biggest threat came in the sixth when a double by Pena and a walk to Jose Altuve put two on with one out. Pirates reliever Chase Shugart retired the next two hitters, with third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes making a nice play on a grounder by Yainer Diaz to end the threat.
11-13: Pittsburgh's record since Don Kelly replaced Derek Shelton as manager on May 8.
The interleague series wraps up on Thursday. Framber Valdez (5-4, 3.12 ERA) gets the start for Houston against Pittsburgh veteran Mitch Keller (1-7, 3.73).
___
This story has been corrected to note that this is Burrows' first victory as a starter. He had a victory in relief in 2024.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
34 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Red Sox at Yankees prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends, and stats for June 6
Its Friday, June 6 and the Red Sox (30-34) are in Bronx to take on the Yankees (38-23). Walker Buehler is slated to take the mound for Boston against Will Warren for New York. The Yankees answered Cleveland's 4-0 shutout of New York Wednesday with a 4-0 shutout of the Guardians last night. Max Fried earned his eighth win of the season with a dominant outing. He struck out seven and gave up just one hit over six scoreless innings. Boston was off yesterday after losing two of three at home to the Angels. The Sox rallied for two in the ninth to take out the Halos 11-9 to salvage the series and earn just their third win in their last ten games. Lets dive into the matchup between these rivals and find a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long. Game details & how to watch Red Sox at Yankees Date: Friday, June 6, 2025 Time: 7:05PM EST Site: Yankee Stadium City: Bronx, NY Network/Streaming: NESN, YES, MLBN Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out. Odds for the Red Sox at the Yankees The latest odds as of Friday: Moneyline: Red Sox (+143), Yankees (-172) Spread: Yankees -1.5 Total: 9.0 runs Probable starting pitchers for Red Sox at Yankees Pitching matchup for June 6, 2025: Walker Buehler vs. Will Warren Red Sox: Walker Buehler (4-3, 4.44 ERA) Last outing: 5/31 at Atlanta - 5.2IP, 5ER, 10H, 2BB, 6KsYankees: Will Warren (3-3, 5.19 ERA) Last outing: 5/31 at Dodgers - 1.1IP, 7ER, 6H, 4BB, 2Ks Red Sox: Walker Buehler (4-3, 4.44 ERA) Last outing: 5/31 at Atlanta - 5.2IP, 5ER, 10H, 2BB, 6Ks Yankees: Will Warren (3-3, 5.19 ERA) Last outing: 5/31 at Dodgers - 1.1IP, 7ER, 6H, 4BB, 2Ks Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type! Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Red Sox at Yankees The Yankees have won their last 5 games against teams with losing records 4 of the Yankees' last 5 home games against the Red Sox have stayed under the Total Rafael Devers has hit safely in 4 straight (4-15) and 7 of the last 8 games (8-31) Aaron Judge is 3-11 in June after hitting .364 in May If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports! Expert picks & predictions for tonight's game between the Red Sox and the Yankees Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Red Sox and the Yankees: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the New York Yankees on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Boston Red Sox at +1.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the under on the Game Total of 9.0. Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
Axios
an hour ago
- Axios
Astros remain promising as MLB season picks up
The Astros are neck-and-neck with the Seattle Mariners at the top of the American League West division as baseball season picks up steam. Why it matters: We're almost halfway through the season, and Houston is already making noise. Driving the news: The Astros (34-28) overtook the Mariners (32-29) in the standings last week and have won eight of their last 10 games. Houston beat the Pittsburgh Pirates last night 8-2. State of play: Here's how things stand so far this season. Injuries Yordan Álvarez: The team is perhaps most missing the big-hitting outfielder, who's been sidelined with a hand injury since early May. Álvarez took a live batting practice last week to see how his recovery was coming along, but continued to feel discomfort. Imaging tests after the practice showed his hand had a fracture that was only partially healed, backsliding his recovery until he's healthy again. Ronel Blanco: The starting pitcher will undergo Tommy John surgery Friday after experiencing elbow soreness two weeks ago and will be out for the rest of the season. He went 3-4 as a starter in 2025 and struck out 48 batters before being placed on the injured list. Yes, but: Houston's starting rotation could get some needed help soon. Starting pitchers Cristian Javier, J.P. France, Spencer Arrighetti and Luis Garcia — all on the injured list — are throwing the ball in recovery, per ESPN. Plus, outfielders Chas McCormick and Zach Dezenzo are both on the injured list and could return in the coming weeks ahead of the All-Star break. Newcomers Outfielder Cam Smith is proving his mettle as a rookie, getting on base 33% of the time with 18 RBIs, three home runs and a .245 batting average. Newly minted Astro Christian Walker also continues to do damage at the plate with 27 RBIs, eight home runs — including an explosive walk-off bomb against the Mariners last month — and a .209 batting average. And third baseman Isaac Paredes, playing his first year in Houston, leads the team with 14 home runs, 37 RBIs and a .252 batting average. Veterans It's the year of Jeremy Peña for the Astros. The shortstop has the most hits (75) and doubles (12), plus the highest batting average (.318) on the team. Utility man Jose Altuve is also warming up as a hitter after switching positions, now occasionally playing left field. After a poor start during his return to the mound, starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. is getting in a groove. He struck out 12 batters in a victory over the Athletics on May 28 and wracked up seven strikeouts during his last start Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Seth Hernandez wins Gatorade National Player of the Year, ready for MLB draft day
Seth Hernandez wins Gatorade National Player of the Year, ready for MLB draft day Show Caption Hide Caption Watch baseball player's emotional reaction to surprise MLB promotion During a minor league baseball game in Tacoma, Washington, Cole Young was pulled aside and informed he'd been called up to play in the big leagues. Seth Hernandez has not yet thrown a professional pitch. Yet he's already getting pretty good at slowing the game down. Hernandez will hear that phrase a lot over the next, say, decade or two, as he progresses from prep baseball phenomenon to first-round draft pick and, in just a few weeks, the projected future ace of a major league franchise. But things are already coming quickly. Thursday, Hernandez fulfilled a longtime goal when he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, joining a group that in the four decades of the honor has gone on to combine for four MVPs, 42 All-Star appearances and 27 first-round draft selections. Come July 13, Hernandez will join that group. With a 100-mph fastball and a mature three-pitch mix, Hernandez is by far the best prep pitcher in this draft and remains on the periphery of consideration for the No. 1 overall pick. With significant volatility among the projected top 10 – thanks to prep stars like Hernandez, his Corona High School teammate Billy Carlson and Oklahoma prep shortstops Ethan Holliday and Ei Willits along with a bevy of elite college arms – Hernandez could go anywhere in the first dozen names called. MLB DRAFT PROSPECTS: Players to watch in NCAA super regionals He's already going through the ringer of interviews and visits with clubs, as they probe his hobbies (golfing, though not particularly well) and off-field demeanor (chill, it seems). All while his decorated high school career came to a dramatic end and graduation looms. 'It's a game,' Hernandez told USA TODAY Sports after All-Star and World Series champion Dexter Fowler surprised him with the Gatorade honor, 'and you just got to be able to take in the special moments because not everybody's privileged to do this stuff. 'And really just taking it day by day. The draft is something super special and it's going be a surreal moment, but I know that it's just going to be the starting point and something new and a new chapter in my life. 'So it's going to be exciting.' It's already been an exciting couple years for Hernandez. His Corona Panthers put together an epic two-year run, beginning in 2024 when they won the National High School Invitational in Cary, North Carolina and capped a 30-3 season with a CIF-Southern Section Division I championship. Their 5-0 victory over Harvard-Westlake – the powerhouse that's produced Lucas Giolito, Max Fried, Jack Flaherty and Pete Crow-Armstrong – made them the first team in history to claim bot the NHSI and the crown at the highest level of California baseball. How does one top that? Well, Hernandez could be the first of three Panthers to come off the board in round one. Shortstop Carlson is also pegged to go in the first dozen or so picks, while infielder Brady Ebel should land in the first two rounds. The trio did all right this year, too, going 28-3 before falling in the Division I semifinals to St. John Bosco. And Hernandez certainly did his part. He gave up just one earned run all season before Bosco's 3-0 semifinal victory. Hernadnez finished with a 105-7 strikeout-walk ratio. 'It was awesome. They're going to be my brothers for life,' Hernandez said of his teammates. 'Obviously, we didn't take it home this year, but we did take it home last year. And the group that we had this year was super special. Once in a generation type of team. And it was great just because we gelled so well together and really just brothers – not only on the field, but off the field as well. 'With the team we had this year, it's kind of hard to look back and say it was a failure just because our team was so special. And like I said, it was once in a generation type of thing. No hard feelings.' Oh, and Hernandez slammed seven home runs and drove in 30, leaving a strong impression on Fowler, the 2016 Chicago Cubs World Series champ. 'I've watched his videos and he's got a nice swing on him. I didn't know!' says Fowler. 'Is this the next Shohei? What are we doing?' Quipped Hernandez: 'I'm not stealing 50 bags.' Nope, not when he's expected to receive a bonus in the high seven figures. Hernandez, who committed to Vanderbilt, first drew the strong attention of scouts as a high school sophomore, when he hit 96 mph on the radar gun at an Area Code Games event at Dodger Stadium. He has improved his pitchability as his frame filled out, and pushed his fastball to triple digits. Come mid-July, that progress will pay off, and soon after, Hernandez will be a professional. Things will change, as a game becomes a business. With that, Fowler had some words of advice to keep Hernandez grounded. 'My parents always asked me, 'When do you think you'll be done playing?'' says Fowler, who played his last game in 2021 and retired with 1,306 hits and a .358 on-base percentage over 14 seasons. 'I said, 'When I stop having fun.' When it becomes a job, I'm going to be done. 'So keep this same attitude, keep this same energy. It'll take take you where you need to go.'
