HOUSTON (Interstat) — Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to lift the Baltimore Orioles to a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros on Friday night at Daikin Park. Ward’s blast to left-center scored Adley Rutschman and erased a 2-1 deficit. Baltimore had tied the game in the third on a walk to Pete Alonso with the bases loaded. Houston took a 1-0 lead in the first on Yordan Alvarez’s RBI double and went ahead 2-1 in the third on Isaac Paredes’ sacrifice fly. Cam Sanders (1-0) earned the win with relief help from Anthony Nunez, who pitched two scoreless innings, and Tyler Wells, who recorded his third save. Bryan King (2-3) took the loss. The Astros outhit Baltimore 6-5 but stranded key opportunities. Dean Kremer started for Baltimore, allowing two earned runs over four innings with five strikeouts. The Orioles improved to 47-51, while the Astros fell to 47-52. The game drew 31,867 fans and lasted 3 hours, 13 minutes.

HOUSTON (Interstat) — Taylor Ward’s two-run home run in the eighth inning lifted the Baltimore Orioles to a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday night at Daikin Park, snapping a three-game losing streak and pulling Baltimore back within a game of .500. The Orioles, who entered the game at 46-51, improved to 47-51, while the Astros fell to 47-52. Ward, who finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs, provided the decisive blow after Adley Rutschman led off the eighth with a ground-rule double off Astros reliever Bryan King. King came on in the eighth after starter Peter Lambert worked six innings of one-run ball. Ward deposited a 1-1 pitch into the left-center-field seats for his seventh home run of the season. Cam Sanders (1-0) earned the win with a scoreless seventh inning. He replaced starter Dean Kremer, who pitched four innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Tyler Wells earned his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth, allowing one hit and striking out one. King (2-3) took the loss after surrendering two runs on two hits in one inning. Houston grabbed an early lead in the first inning. Jeremy Peña drew a leadoff walk off Kremer and scored on Yordan Alvarez’s double to left field. Alvarez advanced to third on Isaac Paredes’ single, but the Astros managed only one run after Christian Walker struck out and Jose Altuve grounded into a double play. Baltimore tied the game in the third. Coby Mayo led off with a single, and after two outs, Adley Rutschman walked, and Taylor Ward walked to load the bases. Pete Alonso then drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Mayo, knotting the score at 1-1. Houston responded in the bottom of the third. Peña singled and Alvarez singled to put runners at the corners. Paredes then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Peña to give Houston a 2-1 lead. The Astros threatened to extend the lead in the sixth. Christian Walker was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a groundout. Anthony Nunez, who pitched two scoreless innings in relief, escaped the inning when Cam Smith lined into a double play, with third baseman Coby Mayo doubling off Walker at second. Houston loaded the bases in the seventh on two walks and a single, but reliever Grant Wolfram struck out Paredes and got Walker to pop out to end the inning. Baltimore’s winning rally began in the eighth when Rutschman, who went 1-for-2 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch, hammered a ground-rule double down the right-field line. Ward followed with his go-ahead home run. The Orioles added no further runs, but Wells sealed the victory by working around a two-out walk in the ninth. The game featured a combined 11 hits, six for Houston and five for Baltimore. Neither team hit for much power outside of Ward’s homer. The Astros left 10 runners on base, while the Orioles stranded six. Key contributors for the Orioles included Kremer, who kept his team in the game despite being pulled after four innings. Samuel Basallo went 0-for-4, Gunnar Henderson went 0-for-4, and Dylan Beavers went 0-for-3. Leody Taveras, pinch-hitting in the eighth, grounded out in his only at-bat. Jackson Holliday singled once in four plate appearances. For the Astros, Yordan Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. Jeremy Peña reached base three times on two singles and a walk, scoring twice. Christian Walker struggled, striking out three times and hitting into a double play. Jose Altuve went 0-for-4. The Orioles entered the game having lost nine of their previous 12 contests, including a 3-2 defeat in Cincinnati on July 5 and a 9-7 loss to the Cubs on July 8. Houston had won four of its previous six before Friday’s loss, including an 11-12 defeat at Washington on July 6 and a 2-0 shutout of Tampa Bay on July 5. The two teams continue their three-game series Saturday at Daikin Park. Baltimore then travels to Boston for a three-game set starting Monday, while Houston hosts Miami on Monday. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Baltimore Orioles 7, Houston Astros 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave Houston a 53.20 percent probability to win. Baltimore was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 5 went under the over/under line of 8.5.

HOUSTON (Interstat) — Shane Baz takes the mound Friday night as the Baltimore Orioles open a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park, with both teams seeking to climb above .500 in a tight American League wild-card race. The Orioles (46-51) enter on a four-game winning streak after sweeping Kansas City. Baz earned the victory Sunday in that series, tossing 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball, striking out nine. He is 1-3 with a 3.98 ERA in his last four outings, including a loss in Chicago on July 7. Houston (47-51) has dropped four of five, including Sunday’s 6-5 defeat at Texas. Outfielder Cam Smith went 1 for 4 with a home run and an RBI in that game, snapping an 0-for-11 skid. Over his last 10 games, Smith is hitting .208 with two homers and three RBIs. The teams split a three-game series in Baltimore from April 28-30, with the Orioles winning the opener 5-3 and the finale 10-3, and the Astros taking the middle game 11-5. Baltimore’s offense has averaged 6.5 runs per game during its winning streak. Leody Taveras homered and drove in three runs Sunday, while reliever Andrew Kittredge contributed a scoreless inning. The Orioles’ bullpen has been sharp, posting a 1.80 ERA over the last four games. Houston has struggled offensively, scoring three runs or fewer in three of its last four losses. The Astros’ pitching staff has a 5.40 ERA over that stretch. The Interstat game simulator projects a 7-4 victory for Baltimore. Baz will be opposed by a Houston starter to be announced. First pitch is at 8:10 p.m. EDT. After this series, Baltimore heads to Boston for three games before returning home to host Atlanta. Houston remains home for three games against Miami before a six-game road trip to Chicago and Los Angeles.