Houston, TX — Hunter Brown’s steady arm and Yainer Diaz’s big bat carried the Houston Astros to a 4–1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park, pushing Houston into sole possession of first place in the AL West.

Brown Controls the Mound
Brown (10–5) worked 6 2/3 innings, limiting Boston to one run despite scattering six hits and three walks. Time and again, the right-hander stranded runners, holding the Red Sox to just 1-for-6 with men in scoring position.

The biggest moment came in the sixth, when Boston threatened with the tying run on third. A heated exchange followed after manager Alex Cora argued for a balk call on Brown. The umpires huddled but made no ruling, and Brown escaped unscathed. Cora’s frustration boiled over into the seventh, earning him his fifth ejection of the year.

Astros Strike Early, Add On Late
Houston wasted no time at the plate. On just the fifth pitch of the night from Boston starter Walker Buehler (7–7), Jeremy Peña launched his fifth leadoff homer of the season to right-center. Two batters later, Yainer Diaz added to the tally with a two-out RBI single for a quick 2–0 lead.

Boston trimmed the deficit in the fifth, but Diaz answered back in the sixth. The red-hot catcher crushed a hanging sweeper from Buehler deep to left-center for a 415-foot solo homer — his 17th of the year — stretching the Astros’ advantage to 3–1. Houston added insurance in the eighth to cap the scoring.

Bullpen Slams the Door
Bennett Sousa kept Boston at bay after Brown’s exit, recording four big outs to bridge the game to Bryan Abreu. The hard-throwing reliever closed it out in the ninth, earning his first save of the season.