Astros Beat Red Sox 9-2 Behind Brown's Gem

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown delivered a dominant performance, allowing just one run over six innings as his team routed the Boston Red Sox 9-2 on Tuesday night in the second game of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park. The victory extended Houston's winning streak to four games, while Boston suffered its fourth consecutive loss after an opening-day triumph.

Brown, a right-hander with a 1-0 record, surrendered only one hit, an RBI double by Boston catcher Connor Wong in the fifth inning that scored Marcelo Mayer for the Red Sox's first run. He walked two batters and struck out eight, reaching a career milestone of 600 strikeouts in his 102nd major league appearance, the second-fastest pace in Astros history behind Lance McCullers Jr.'s 100 games. Reliever Cody Bolton closed out the game with three innings of relief, permitting one run while fanning five batters to notch his first major league save.

The Astros jumped ahead early and never looked back, building a commanding lead against Boston starter Brayan Bello in his season debut. Houston took a 1-0 advantage in the first when Jeremy Pena singled and scored on Yordan Alvarez's RBI double. The lead grew to...