Brice’s breakout? Rookie boosts Astros with first career 3-hit game

BALTIMORE -- Brice Matthews has been searching for most of his young MLB career. In the Astros’ 5-3 loss to the Orioles in Tuesday night’s series opener, he might have found something.

The 24-year-old rookie put together arguably his best game at the plate in his first trip to Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

It began with a thunderous opposite-field home run against O’s starter Shane Baz to claw a run back in the fifth inning.

“It felt really good,” Matthews said of the drive that screamed out of Camden’s cozy confines with a 109.7 mph exit velocity. “Just trying to put the bat on the ball more. Not trying to do too much. I feel like if I hit the ball on the barrel, the ball is going to go. So just trying to simplify and just shorten up and just keep it easy.”

It finished as Matthews' first career three-hit game, one that included two RBIs and finished a triple shy of the cycle, raising his batting average more than 50 points.

Six of his nine hits this season have gone for extra bases.

“I keep saying, when he finds barrel to ball, he’s exciting to watch,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He’s a very explosive player. He can change outcomes of the game when he learns to be more consistent making contact.”

Matthews said nothing felt particularly different about an approach he is continuously refining at the big league level. Just the outcome.

“This was something I always thought I could do,” he said. “It wasn’t like a surprise for me. I know I have the capability. I feel like I could do that each and every night, but baseball, it’s not going to go your way each and every night.”

On a different night, Matthews’ ability to turn the lineup over might have helped Houston find a way to outscore Baltimore and secure its first back-to-back wins since April 14-15.

But against Baz and four O’s relievers, the top quartet of Carlos Correa, Yordan Alvarez, Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve went a combined 2-for-18.

In the seventh, Correa, Paredes and Altuve each went down swinging against Andrew Kittredge: Correa with two aboard, and the latter pair with the bases loaded after Alvarez was intentionally walked.

In the eighth, Correa struck out to strand Matthews. Then Alvarez, Paredes and Altuve went down 1-2-3 in the ninth against closer Ryan Helsley.

Houston finished the night 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

“We had them against the ropes, and credit to their guys, they made pitches,” Espada said. “Really nasty stuff from their bullpen there to kind of take the momentum away from us.”

Kai-Wei Teng (1-2) allowed two runs over three innings in his season debut as an opener, and he was arguably better than his final line suggested.

Teng faced the minimum in his final two frames and threw 30 of his efficient 42 pitches for strikes. But his velocity hovered in the low 90s, a tick lower than expected.

Espada said pregame that it wasn’t yet clear whether the Astros would try to stretch Teng further into a starting role, or if the series opener would be a one-off.

“We haven’t really talked about my next outing yet,” Teng said through an interpreter. “But my main goal is to stay consistent, and no matter what role the team needs me to be, I’ll just focus on the next pitch and focus on myself.”