HOUSTON -- Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. challenged an improved Mariners lineup with his usual heavy dosage of curveballs, throwing them early and often while leading Houston to a 2-1 win Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park.
McCullers, on the mound in a big league game for the first time since Aug. 2 (elbow sprain), needed 88 pitches to work six innings. He held Seattle to five hits and one run, striking out seven, to send the Astros to their second win in a row over the Mariners to start the season.
"I felt comfortable there," McCullers said of his reliance on the curve.