Jared Triolo, who entered with a .152 batting average, had two of Pittsburgh’s five hits against him. Triolo drove a leadoff double in the third inning and scored on two groundouts. Valdez’s only other blip came in the fifth, when Triolo had the first of three straight two-out singles against him.

After the start of the game was delayed three hours, 22 minutes by rain, Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez made short work of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Valdez struck out the side in the first in

Pittsburgh’s Mike Burrows held Houston in check into the sixth inning to pick up the first victory of his career as a starter as the Pirates topped the Astros 3-0.