Nelson Velazquez produced a tiebreaking, two-run single with two outs in the eighth inning to lift the Houston Astros to a 2-0 victory over the visiting Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.
Velázquez plated Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve with his single to center field off White Sox reliever Sean Newcomb (2-4), who struck out Velazquez when he entered as a pinch hitter with two outs in the sixth. Paredes (walk) and Altuve (hit by pitch) reached in succession with one out in the eighth to load the bases.
The White Sox (73-66) squandered an opportunity to snap the scoreless tie in the top of the eighth when Tristan Peters roped a leadoff triple to right-center off Astros reliever AJ Blubaugh (5-2) but was later erased at the plate by Jeremy Pena while trying to score on a grounder to short.
Drew Romo, who walked, did not attempt to score from second when Munetaka Murakami singled to right and was stranded at third when Miguel Vargas grounded into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.
Right-hander Hayden Wesneski twirled seven innings of one-hit ball for the Astros (71-69), striking out five and walking two. Josh Hader notched his 22nd save with a perfect ninth. Houston stretched its lead in the American League West to two games over the Texas Rangers, who lost at home to the Athletics earlier in the day.
White Sox right-hander Davis Martin excelled in his first start following reinstatement from the 15-day injured list.
Martin retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced and, after a one-out single by Daulton Varsho in the second, struck out Taylor Trammell and Cam Smith. He retired the Astros in order in the third and, when trouble arose in the fourth, also met that challenge.
Yordan Alvarez (double) and Paredes (single) reached in succession to open the fourth. Martin hunkered down, retiring Altuve via a popup before striking out Varsho and inducing Trammell to fly out to left. Martin faced Alvarez with two runners on base and two outs in the fifth, and responded by getting Alvarez to fly out to left on the first pitch.
Martin departed after issuing a two-out walk to Varsho in the sixth, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out three over 5 2/3 innings.
