With Brown's return, Delgado's clutch hit, could the tides be turning for Houston?

HOUSTON -- The Astros are one week away from reaching the midpoint of their schedule, but it feels like their season may have begun Tuesday night. The return of ace pitcher Hunter Brown -- the latest in a series of star players to come off the injured list -- energized Daikin Park and rekindled hopes the Astros’ best baseball lies ahead.

Brown was one of four starting pitchers who landed on the injured list in the first two weeks of the season, and several key players followed with injuries -- shortstop Jeremy Peña, second baseman Jose Altuve, third baseman Carlos Correa, closer Josh Hader and catcher Yainer Diaz all missed significant time while Brown was out.

The Astros aren’t quite whole -- they still have 10 players on the IL -- but Brown reminded everyone of his impact by holding the Tigers to one run and striking out seven batters in 5 2/3 innings in a 4-2 come-from-behind win. Houston rallied for three runs in the eighth inning, including a two-run single by rookie Raynel Delgado that put them ahead.

“Obivously, I take pride in being somebody that the staff and my teammates can rely on,” Brown said. “We’ve had a lot of guys fill in who have done a great job and other people step up, and it takes a full 40-man roster. Now that I am back, hopefully I can hit the ground running and keep it going. That’s the goal, that’s the plan. We’re still within striking distance and everybody in this clubhouse knows it.”

Brown, who had a third-place finish in American League Cy Young Award voting last year, made two starts before going on the injured list with a shoulder sprain. He spent 2 1/2 months on the shelf while slowly rehabbing his injury as the Astros struggled to keep their rotation afloat with so many injuries.

“I worked really hard to get back and here we are,” Brown said. “Shoot, I’ve put in however many days [of work] in here in this park and then you get to come out and compete again. It was awesome.”

Brown retired 10 of the final 13 batters he faced following an RBI single in the second by Hao-Yu Lee that caromed off Peña’s glove to put the Tigers ahead, 1-0. He began the sixth at 75 pitches and he was pulled after issuing a two-out walk to Kerry Carpenter. Brown got a nice ovation from the crowd while walking off the mound.

“I tried to empty the tank and I did,” he said. “I didn’t quite finish the sixth, but [reliever Steven] Okert came in and shut the door on them and that’s what good teams do.”

Brown threw 53 of 92 pitches for strikes, relying mostly on his four-seam fastball (43 pitches), curveball (20) and sinker (15). He hit 97.5 mph with his fastball and averaged 95.9 mph on the pitch, so he had all his weapons working and matched former teammate Framber Valdez, who gave up one run in six innings in his return to Houston.

“You can make out the game plan knowing that Hunter has X amount of pitches and he’s going to get you through that,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “It makes it a little easier to manage a game. The guys just know if he keeps us in the game, we’re going to come back and score runs.”

That happened in the eighth when Delgado, making his second career start, stroked a two-run single up the middle with the bases loaded off Will Vest to score Diaz -- who went 1-for-3 with a run scored, a walk and threw out a runner trying to steal in his first game since May 5 -- and Cam Smith for a 3-2 Astros lead. Peña beat out a potential double play ball to score Joey Loperfido to make it 4-2.

Delgado, who was acquired in a trade with the Rays a week ago, looked back toward Espada in the dugout when he was on deck after the Astros loaded the bases in the eighth and got a vote of confidence from his manager.

“It’s a big moment in the game,” said Delgado, who notched his first two career RBIs after getting his first MLB hit on Sunday. “Just making sure that everything is going as it should, and he gave me a good confidence boost when he goes, ‘Just hit it. It’s your turn.’”