Karstens Goes Distance, Pirates Win 4-0
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Pittsburgh Pirates picked right up where they left off in their first game after the All-Star break.
Pittsburgh opened up a three-game series with the Houston Astros with a 4-0 win Friday night.
The Pirates' win, combined with losses by the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers have moved Pittsburgh into a first place tie with the Cardinals.
Jeff Karstens (8-4, 2.34 ERA) was stellar by pitching a complete game shutout. He scattered five hits while striking one and did not issue a walk.
The Pirates (48-43) wasted no time in taking the lead.
Neil Walker's RBI single in the first inning put the Bucs ahead for good. Andrew McCutchen added insurance in the third inning with a triple that drove home two runs.
For Houston (30-63), Brett Myers allowed three runs on five hits over six innings. He also struck out 11 and walked three.
The Astros threatened in the seventh inning, but Karstens got Brett Wallace to ground into an inning-ending double play to preserve the shutout.
Pittsburgh added to the lead in the eighth inning. Garrett Jones earned a leadoff walk. Xavier Paul came in to pinch run and scored on a fielding error after advancing to second on a wild pitch.
The teams will be back in action Saturday night.
Paul Maholm (6-9, 2.96 ERA) is expected to take on Bud Norris (5-6, 3.46 ERA) at 7:05 p.m.
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