Houston’s Jeremy Peña hits a solo home run in the fifth inning of the Astros’ 3-1 win over the Blue Jay son Monday in Toronto. Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP
TORONTO — Hunter Brown pitched six shutout innings, Jeremy Peña and Yordan Álvarez hit home runs. and the Houston Astros beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Monday for their 10th win in 11 games.
After going 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA in five June starts, Brown (6-5) opened July with another solid outing. He allowed two hits, both singles, walked three and struck out five.
“It couldn’t happen to a better guy,” Peña said of Brown. “He prepares really well, and he goes out there and competes.”
Decked out in special red jerseys and caps, the Blue Jays lost on the Canada Day holiday for a second straight year.
After Rafael Montero worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning, the Blue Jays loaded the bases against Bryan Abreu in the eighth. Abreu escaped by getting Daulton Varsho to ground out.
“You can have him against the ropes but he’s going to figure out a way to get people out,” Astros Manager Joe Espada said of Abreu. “That’s just Bryan. He’s so good, his stuff is so explosive.”
Josh Hader allowed a solo home run to Ernie Clement in the ninth but finished for his 13th save in 14 chances.
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was scratched from Toronto’s lineup because of pain in his right hand.
About an hour after Guerrero was scratched, infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa was also removed from the lineup because of a sore left knee.
Guerrero was hit on the fingers of his hand by a 96 mph fastball thrown by New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole during the third inning of Sunday’s setback.
METS: Outfielder Brandon Nimmo missed the game against Washington after being injured in a fall in his hotel room overnight.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said Nimmo cut his forehead in the fall but did not have a concussion.
“In the middle of the night he woke up, needed to go to the bathroom and slipped,” Mendoza said. “Hit his forehead so he’s got a pretty big cut.”
Mendoza said Nimmo called the Mets’ trainers, who went to his room to assist him.
BREWERS: Outfielder Garrett Mitchell was activated from the injured list, clearing the way for him to make his season debut after missing three months with a fractured left index finger.
The NL Central-leading Brewers also optioned infielder Tyler Black to Triple-A Nashville and designated infielder Owen Miller for assignment.
Mitchell, 25, has shown promise since the Brewers selected him out of UCLA with the 20th overall pick in the 2020 draft, but injuries frequently have kept him off the field.
After getting called up late in the 2022 season, Mitchell opened 2023 as the Brewers’ starting center fielder but tore a labrum in his left shoulder sliding into third base on April 18 and didn’t return until late September. He ended up playing 19 games all season.
ANDREW MILLER, a former pitcher, was hired by the Major League Baseball Players Association as special assistant for strategic initiatives.
Miller pitched in the major leagues from 2006-21 with Detroit, Florida, Boston, Baltimore, the New York Yankees, Cleveland and St. Louis.
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