Astros Defeat Pirates 8-2

The Astros coasted to a series opening win in Pittsburgh. Houston downed the Pirates 8-2 at PNC Park in the first outing of a three-game series. Yordan Alvarez continued his dominant stretch at the plate to start the year by going three-for-four with two RBI and a run scored. Kyle Tucker drove in three runs in the victory. Starting pitcher Framber Valdez improved to 1-and-1 this season after allowing two earned runs and striking out five over seven innings. The Astros improve to 5-and-6. They will send right-hander Cristian Javier to the mound tonight.