Astros 4, Giants 3
HOUSTON -- George Springer, back in the lineup for the first time in a week, bashed a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to complete the Houston Astros' rally for a 4-3 interleague win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park.
Activated earlier from the seven-day concussion disabled list, Springer drilled a 3-2 fastball from Giants left-hander Jeremy Affeldt (0-2) out to left-center field for his fifth homer of the season and the Astros' third of the game.
Third baseman Luis Valbuena hit his eighth home run leading off the sixth, mimicking the leadoff homer that catcher Jason Castro smacked to right center in the fifth. Both came against Giants right-hander Tim Hudson and added to the Astros' American League-leading total now at 49.
The Giants (17-17) led 3-1 in the middle of the fifth.
San Francisco fashioned a rally against Houston closer Luke Gregerson in the ninth, with shortstop Brandon Crawford opening the inning with a double to left field. But Crawford was erased attempting to take third on a grounder to shortstop Jonathan Villar and, with two outs and runners on the corners, Gregerson completed his eighth save when Giants catcher Buster Posey tapped a weak grounder to the mound.
Right-hander Chad Qualls (1-2) picked up the win in relief for Houston.
Posey provided a glimpse of what was to come in his first plate appearance, looping a two-out single to center field that scored second baseman Matt Duffy and provided the Giants a 1-0 lead in the first.
Astros left-hander Brett Oberholtzer, making his season debut after a blister on his left index finger landed him on he disabled list, stranded Posey and right fielder Justin Maxwell in the first inning and utilized double-play grounders in the second and third to evade additional damage.
But Oberholtzer did not return in the fourth inning after problems with his blister flared up. He surrendered to right-hander Samuel Deduno who, in the fifth inning, surrendered a two-run homer to Posey, his fifth home run of the season, that erased a 1-1 deadlock.
The Astros enjoyed only modest success against Hudson, scratching across a run in the fourth inning before mounting an aborted effort an inning later.
Catcher Jason Castro cranked the first pitch off the fifth of the right-enter field bullpen to cut the lead to 3-2. First baseman Chris Carter and shortstop Jonathan Villard responded with back-to-back hits that left Hudson vulnerable,
However, Hudson rallied to get center fielder Jake Marisnick to fly out to center field before second baseman Jose Altuve rolled into an inning-ending double play.
NOTES: Astros OF George Springer returned from the seven-day concussion disabled list after making one rehab start for Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday night. Springer went 1-for-4 as the Hooks' designated hitter. Springer was sidelined after crashing into the right-field wall retrieving a fly ball on May 5 against Texas. ... Giants RHP Chris Heston on Tuesday night became just the third rookie in the last 25 years to toss a complete game while allowing two or fewer hits and zero walks with 10-plus strikeouts, joining Cubs RHP Kerry Wood (May 6, 1998, against the Astros) and Cardinals RHP Shelby Miller (May 10, 2013, against the Rockies). ... The Giants signed RHP Tommy Hanson to a minor league contract. Hanson, 28, finished third in the 2009 National League Rookie of the Year balloting but was beset by shoulder injuries starting in 2011. He last pitched in the majors for the Los Angeles Angels in 2013.