PITTSBURGH -- It turned out to be worth the wait for the Astros on Thursday night into Friday morning. And Jacob Melton wasn’t complaining about having to play past midnight.
Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings, Isaac Paredes hit two home runs and Melton keyed a four-run fourth inning with a two-run single -- the first RBIs of his nascent career -- as the Astros beat the Pirates, 8-2, at PNC Park for a series win in the three-game set.
The game did not begin until 10:02 p.m. ET following a three-hour, 22-minute rain delay. The last out was made at 12:26 a.m.
Playing in just his fourth Major League game, Melton had the biggest of the Astros’ 10 hits when his single extended the Astros’ lead to 4-1.
Melton, ranked by MLB Pipeline as Houston’s No. 2 prospect, was 1-for-8 coming into Thursday after being called up from Triple-A Sugar Land last weekend. The left fielder went 2-for-4 with a stolen base on a soggy night in Pittsburgh.
“Just to be able to deliver those hits and help us win this game, he’s in [the clubhouse] feeling pretty good about himself,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “You could see the confidence in the [at-bats], and then he showed the speed factor with the stolen base. He’s an exciting player to watch. He’s been facing pretty good pitching, and he’s handling himself well.”
The American League West-leading Astros turned a 1-0 deficit into a three-run lead in the fourth.
Paredes led off the inning with a homer off Mitch Keller. Cam Smith, another rookie, put the Astros ahead with an RBI single before Melton capped the inning with his single.
The 24-year-old Melton said he is starting to feel more comfortable now that the adrenaline rush of being called up to the Majors for the first time has started to wear off.
“The first piece of advice I got from a handful of people is that even though it’s the Major Leagues, it’s still baseball,” Melton said. “I’ve been playing baseball for a long time, but I really think it takes a couple of days for it to set in before you start feeling like it’s the same game. I’ll be honest, I think everybody’s in the same boat. I can’t imagine somebody coming up and immediately feeling comfortable.
“It was nice to deliver a big hit and help the team win. It was a tough at-bat against a really good pitcher, but I loved the result.”
Paredes added a two-run homer in the ninth inning, his 14th of the season, to increase the lead to 8-2. Acquired from the Cubs along with Smith in a winter trade for three-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker, Paredes had his second multihomer game of the season and eighth of his career.
Jeremy Peña had three hits, including two doubles, for the Astros.
Valdez allowed two runs and four hits while striking out 11 and walking three across seven innings. He is 5-0 with a 1.84 ERA in his last six starts -- and the Astros won his no-decision start.
“We sat for a long time waiting to start the game, and Framber came out and did exactly what we needed him to do,” Espada said. “It was a late night, and what could you do but wait for God to decide about the rain? He’s in control of everything. I’m glad we were able to get the game in and win the series.”