Austin Slater shines as the San Francisco Giants beat the Houston Astros 5-3

Updated Jun. 12, 2024 7:08 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Austin Slater had three hits and drove in two runs to help the San Francisco Giants beat the Houston Astros 5-3 on Wednesday.

Slater also stole a base and scored for San Francisco, which took the rubber game of the three-game series in a speedy two hours and seven minutes.

“Anytime you can take a series and contribute in that, it feels good,” Slater said. “Everyone throughout the lineup contributed today and it was a good team win.”

Yordan Alvarez homered for Houston, which has lost three of four overall.

The Giants jumped on Framber Valdez for five runs and eight hits in four innings. Valdez (5-4) threw 59 pitches in his shortest outing of the season, finishing with just one strikeout, his fewest in a game since July 26 when he had one against Texas.

“I felt a little uncomfortable there,” Valdez said through a translator. “The pitches weren’t doing what I wanted them to do, including the breaking stuff. So I was a little out of control there.”

San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb (6-5) permitted three runs and seven hits in six innings.

“I thought early on I was really good, and then later on I started to kind of get behind guys and I think that’s when some of the stuff happened,” Webb said. “But overall, I felt pretty good.”

Ryan Walker, Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval combined for three scoreless innings in relief. Doval struck out former Giants utility player Mauricio Dubón to end the game, earning his 12th save in 14 chances.

Wilmer Flores gave San Francisco an early lead with a sacrifice fly in the third. Matt Chapman followed with an RBI double.

Jeremy Peña drove in Houston’s first run on an infield single in the fourth.

Slater answered with a two-run single in the bottom of the inning, and Heliot Ramos added a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1.

"It’s huge, especially against a starter like that," Giants manager Bob Melvin said of the early offense. “And then we have Webby on the mound. So you really feel good about winning the game.”

Alvarez hit a two-run homer to center in the sixth, his 14th of the year.

“Webb is not an easy guy to go against, but I thought our at-bats were pretty good,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “I thought we were in the game and we gave ourselves some chances.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: OF Kyle Tucker (right shin contusion) has not begun baseball activities and is not expected to return Friday when he is eligible to come off the injured list. However, Espada did not rule him out for the weekend. ... C Yainer Díaz missed his third straight game with a sore right index finger, though Espada said he was available off the bench and should be ready to start Friday.

Giants: LHP Blake Snell (left groin strain) threw off a mound for the first time since going on the IL on June 3. ... RHP Austin Warren (right elbow UCL surgery) pitched a scoreless inning with one strikeout in a rehab outing with Single-A San Jose on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Astros: Return home for a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers beginning Friday night. RHP Hunter Brown (2-5, 5.58 ERA) seeks his fifth straight quality start opposite Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal (8-1, 1.92).

Giants: RHP Spencer Howard (0-0, 2.03) opens a three-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night. The Angels hadn't announced a starter.

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