Houston Astros starting pitcher Edgar Gonzalez left Friday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second inning with a strained hamstring, but Houston's bats propelled the Astros to a 7-1 victory. Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and the Pirates never threatened a comeback.
Gonzalez was replaced by Fernando Martinez, who picked up his second win of the season. The extent of Gonzalez's injury is unknown at this time, but his next expected start is Sept. 26th against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Astros first baseman Brett Wallace led the offensive charge, going 2-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs, including a solo homerun in the seventh.
Pittsburgh's lone score came on s Garrett Jones solo homerun in the eighth, but it was too little, too late for the Pirates, who are now 4-15 in September and have lost 4 straight.
Stick with SB Nation Houston for scores, previews, updates and more from the Astros vs. Pirates series. For more insight and analysis, check out Astros blog The Crawfish Boxes, or for the Pittsburgh perspective check out Pirates blog Bucs Dugout.