Astros seize control in the third
The decisive moment of the contest arrived in the third inning when the Houston Astros mounted a three-run rally to take a permanent lead. Yainer Diaz opened the sequence with a home run to left center that traveled 383 feet, giving the home team a 1-0 advantage. The momentum continued immediately after, as Martin Paredes doubled to left, allowing Luis Peña to score and advancing Alvarez to third base. That play extended the Astros' lead to 2-0. The inning concluded with Carlos Correa hitting a sacrifice fly to left, which scored Alvarez and put the game out of reach, leaving the score at 0-3 from the Arizona perspective.
Diamondbacks answer briefly
Arizona managed to score its only run of the game in the top of the fourth inning. Luis Moreno connected with a home run to left center that carried 387 feet, cutting the deficit to 1-3. However, the Diamondbacks were unable to build on that offensive spark. For the remainder of the game, the Astros defense held firm, allowing no further damage and preserving their two-run cushion.
Pitching performance
Cristian Javier earned the win for Houston, pitching five innings while allowing one hit and one earned run. He also issued three walks and struck out eight batters. Javier was followed by Enyel De Los Santos, who pitched one-third of an inning with one hit, one walk, and no earned runs. Bennett Sousa then entered, pitching one-third of an inning with one hit, two walks, and two strikeouts. Bryan Abreu pitched one-third of an inning with one walk and no hits. Josh Hader closed the game with one inning of work, striking out three batters while issuing no walks and allowing no hits to secure the save.
