Houston Astros vs Baltimore Orioles Box Score on Jun 21, 2021

Jake Odorizzi and Cristian Javier combined to carry a no-hitter into the eighth inning and Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run homer as the visiting Houston Astros extended their winning streak to eight games with a 10-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.

The Astros came into the game as the third-best team in the majors in terms of winning percentage and did not let up. Houston now has won 12 of its past 14 games while the Orioles have dropped 11 of their past 12 contests.

There was a one-hour rain delay at the start but starter Odorizzi (2-3) proved too much for the slumping Orioles. Odorizzi struck out nine in five hitless innings and gave up only a fifth-inning walk to DJ Stewart.

Javier came on in the sixth and took care of the next two frames before Brandon Bielak entered in the eighth and lost the no-hitter when Maikel Franco hit a two-run homer with one out. The Orioles had just two baserunners in the game before the Franco homer. Stevie Wilkerson added a single later in the inning.

For the Orioles, rookie Keegan Akin (0-3) lasted four innings plus one batter, and his main problems came in the third. Overall, the left-hander allowed five runs on six hits despite throwing well at times. He fanned five and walked four.

Akin got into trouble in the third and couldn't escape. Chas McCormick's RBI single made it 1-0, and Yuli Gurriel added a sacrifice fly before Alvarez followed with his three-run homer to left for a 5-0 lead.

Houston stretched it to 7-0 in the seventh with a Gurriel sacrifice fly plus a Carlos Correa run-scoring single. Then came the second rain delay of the night in the top of the eighth, which lasted 41 minutes, before Brantley golfed a two-run double to deep center. Pinch hitter Garrett Stubbs followed with an RBI double that gave the Astros a 10-0 lead.

They still held out hope for the no-hitter before Franco blasted his two-run homer in the bottom of that inning. The Orioles finished with two hits.

Before the game, Baltimore placed one-time closer Cesar Valdez (lower back strain) on the injured list and recalled pitcher Travis Lakins Sr.

--Field Level Media