Phillies End 26-Inning Scoreless Streak but Fall to Astros

In a tense matchup Thursday, the Phillies broke their 26-inning scoreless streak with a run in the eighth inning, only to watch the Astros snatch victory moments later. Rookie Cam Smith delivered a clutch RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, sealing a 2-1 win for Houston.

Smith's pivotal hit came off reliever Orion Kerkering (5-3), marking his second hit of the game and contributing to the Astros' fourth consecutive victory, completing a three-game sweep of Philadelphia.

Brandon Marsh's sacrifice fly earlier in the inning tied the game, finally putting an end to the Phillies' lengthy scoring drought. The Astros had initially taken the lead in the second inning when Yainer Diaz connected for an RBI single.

Despite the loss, Phillies starter Christopher Sánchez showcased impressive form, striking out 11 batters without issuing a walk over six innings. This performance marked Sánchez's third consecutive start without a walk.

On the other side, Hunter Brown continued to dominate, lowering his league-leading ERA to 1.74 after seven shutout innings, during which he allowed only three singles and struck out nine. Notably, he did not permit any runner to reach second base.

Reliever Bryan Abreu (3-3) closed out the eighth by striking out Trea Turner and followed up by fanning Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm, and Nick Castellanos in the ninth.

Rafael Marchán stood out for the Phillies with two of their four hits, while Bryson Stott reached base twice and scored the team's only run.

Brown's impressive 1.74 ERA ranks as the fourth-best in Astros history through 16 starts, a feat last matched by Justin Verlander in 2018 when he posted a 1.60 ERA through the same number of starts.

Looking ahead, the Astros will face the Cubs in a three-game series starting Friday, with left-hander Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA) taking the mound. Meanwhile, the Phillies are set to open a three-game series against the Braves, featuring right-hander Mick Abel (2-1, 3.47 ERA) on Friday.