BRADENTON, Fla. – Hunter Pence homered for the first time this spring and had three hits before leaving in the fifth inning with a cut that required stitches, and the Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-6 Wednesday.
Pence got four stitches to close a cut on his left shin. He expects to play Thursday.
Pence is hitting .385 and is third on the team with eight RBIs. Against left-hander Brian Burres, he hit a run-scoring double in the first inning and a solo homer in the third.
Astros shortstop Angel Sanchez went 1 for 2 with a walk and scored two runs in his first game since March 15. He was out with lower back pain.
Burres worked five innings and gave up six runs on 10 hits.
Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer for the Pirates.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.