Astros chip away late, take series over Giants

Taylor Trammell tripled and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, seven Houston pitchers combined for a five-hitter and the Astros completed a break-even NL West swing with a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday afternoon.

The victory, Houston's second in San Francisco after opening the trip 1-2 in San Diego, allowed the Astros to head home in first place in the American League West, with a key three-game series against the third-place Seattle Mariners set to start Friday.

Having tied the score 1-1 with an unearned run in the seventh inning, the Astros took their only lead of the day when Trammell smacked Keaton Winn's fourth pitch of the eighth inning off the bricks in right field at Oracle Park for a stand-up triple.

Nick Allen, subbing for injured Jose Altuve, then lifted Winn's next offering far enough into left field to produce a sacrifice fly that allowed Trammell to jog home.

Josh Hader, the seventh Houston pitcher on a bullpen day, threw a perfect ninth inning, needing just eight pitches, for his 17th save.

Steven Okert (6-1) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh in just 10 pitches. Winn (2-3) allowed one hit and one earned run in 1 1/3 innings of work.

Shut out for six innings by Adrian Houser, the Astros finally scored to draw even at one in the seventh against the San Francisco bullpen. A misplayed flyball by Giants left fielder Victor Bericoto put runners at second and third with one out, after which a sacrifice fly by Nelson Velazquez brought home Isaac Paredes from third.

Astros opener Bryan King got two outs in the bottom of the first but also walked two among the first four batters. Enyel De Los Santos replaced him and the Giants scored their only run on an RBI single by Bericoto that scored Willy Adames, who had drawn one of the earlier free passes.

Tatsuya Imai came on to start the second inning for the Astros and combined with AJ Blubaugh, Okert, Bryan Abreu and Hader to shut out the Giants the rest of the way.

Houser didn't get a decision after allowing just two hits in his six innings. He walked one and struck out five.

Jeremy Pena doubled for the Astros, the game's only extra-base hit other than Trammell's triple.

Despite out-hitting the visitors 5-4, the Giants completed a 2-4 homestand in which they dropped 2-1 series to the Detroit Tigers and Astros.