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Valbuena, bullpen lead Astros over Orioles

[May 26, 2016] HOUSTON -- For what has been a surprisingly long and difficult stretch, the Houston Astros have searched for a measure of production from the bottom of their order that third baseman Luis Valbuena is suddenly providing.

Valbuena homered for a second consecutive game and the Astros turned another strong bullpen performance into a 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park.

Valbuena, batting seventh, made his lone hit count, smacking a two-out, opposite-field home run off Baltimore right-hander Tyler Wilson (2-3) in the sixth inning to snap a 3-3 tie. His fourth blast on the season followed his multi-hit game on Tuesday and positioned the Houston bullpen to shackle the Orioles (26-18) like it did in the series opener.

"Yeah I feel so good at home plate," said Valbuena, who has reached base safely in 21 of his last 29 games. "I'm looking for a good pitch and I try to have good contact. That happened and I hit a home run."

Pat Neshek (2-0) entered in relief of right-hander Collin McHugh and recorded the final two outs of the sixth inning for the Astros (19-28). Ken Giles worked around a one-out walk and struck out the side in the seventh before Will Harris stranded two runners in the eighth inning.

Astros closer Luke Gregerson earned his 10th save by navigating the heart of the Baltimore order in the ninth inning and working around a one-out double by first baseman Chris Davis. One night after recording 19 strikeouts in their 13-inning victory, Houston pitchers notched 18 strikeouts, eight by the four right-handers who followed McHugh.

Houston matched a franchise record with 37 strikeouts over a two-game span, a mark originally set against the Cubs on May 30-31, 2003.

"They're good pitchers," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "They have a good pitching staff, a good bullpen. This is the major leagues and it's something where you have to make sure they are getting us out. You have a lot of want to but it's tough when you're pressing a little bit to stay away from wanting to do too much."

Two batters in, McHugh found trouble, as he surrendered consecutive doubles to Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop, allowing the Orioles to grab a 1-0 lead in a flash. McHugh recovered and retired the next three batters in succession but ran into more difficulty in the second.

McHugh allowed a leadoff single to Matt Wieters and later issued a two-out walk to nine-hole hitter Hyun Soo Kim, setting the stage for an RBI opportunity for Machado. When McHugh responded with an inning-ending strikeout of Machado, he suddenly found his rhythm.

"It was good," Astros catcher Evan Gattis, who hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning, said of McHugh's curveball. "It's a good weapon on some of their guys. I think it's really effective. It's huge and it kind of gets in the back of their minds with the cutter and the heater."

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Astros third baseman Luis Valbuena (18) throws out a runner at first base during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Orioles managed just two baserunners over the next three innings as McHugh racked up nine strikeouts by the close of the fifth. However, things fell apart just as suddenly in the sixth when McHugh again allowed the first two batters of the frame to reach base before a wild pitch and unsightly defense enabled the Orioles to pull even at 3-3.

McHugh posted 10 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings, marking just the third time in his career that he recorded double-digit strikeouts in a game. He allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk, but set the table for the bullpen to continue its dominance of the Orioles for a second contest.

"It's been a struggle," Orioles designated hitter Mark Trumbo said. "But you know that's part of the deal. It's not going to go your way all the time. This is just one of those little ruts that we're in. We did battle. We gave ourselves a chance to win but it wasn't quite enough."

NOTES: Astros CF Carlos Gomez (bruised left ribcage) made his first two rehab starts with Double-A Corpus Christi, finishing 0-for-3 with a run scored on Tuesday night before recording three outfield assists and a home run on Wednesday night. Gomez has been out since May 17. ... Orioles RHP Yovani Gallardo (right shoulder biceps tendinitis) completed a bullpen session Wednesday and is scheduled to throw a simulated game of two innings Saturday in Cleveland. Gallardo has been sidelined since April 23. ... C Evan Gattis made his second start behind the plate since his May 17 recall from Corpus Christi, where he spent 11 games getting reacquainting with catching for the first time since 2014 with Atlanta. ... Orioles LF Hyun Soo Kim hit ninth in his first game action since May 18 and finished 3-for-3 with a walk. Manager Buck Showalter made a concerted effort to get Kim back into the lineup.

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