DETROIT — Rookie Parker Meadows hit his first career homer with two outs in the ninth inning, lifting the Detroit Tigers to a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Friday night.
The Astros led 1-0 going into the ninth and Houston closer Ryan Pressly struck out the first two batters. Miguel Cabrera and Zach McKinstry singled, and Javier Baez drove in pinch-runner Carson Kelly from second on a liner into center to tie the score.
Meadows, playing his fourth career game, then homered to right field.
Alex Lange (6-3) worked the ninth for the win. It was the fifth blown save for Pressly (3-4) in 33 opportunities.
Houston wasted a stellar start by Framber Valdez, who struck out six and walked five in seven hitless innings. The left-hander, who threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Guardians on Aug. 1, matched a career high with 114 pitches.
Valdez, 29, became the seventh pitcher with two hitless starts in a season of at least seven innings. Max Scherzer was the last major leaguer to accomplish the feat in 2015 with the Washington Nationals.
Bryan Abreu relieved and retired Matt Vierling on a popup before pinch-hitter Kerry Carpenter singled on a grounder through the hole between first and second.
The Tigers missed an opportunity to score in the second. Valdez hit Jake Rogers and walked Riley Greene. Cabrera hit a ball to the wall in right, but Kyle Tucker kept it in the park.
Rogers took third on the play, but tried to score on Zack Short’s grounder to third before Alex Bregman threw him out.
Houston took the lead in the third. Jose Abreu reached on Short’s throwing error and Rogers was called for catcher’s interference on Jeremy Pena. After Martin Maldonado‘s sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, Jose Altuve hit a high chopper for an infield RBI single.
The Astros nearly doubled their lead in the fourth, but Meadows made a jumping catch at the center-field wall to take extra bases away from Yordan Alvarez.