Justin Verlander pitched three scoreless innings before departing because of right calf discomfort, and the Houston Astros used five relievers to close out a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
Alex Bregman homered for AL West-leading Houston, and Yuli Gurriel had a two-run single. The Astros dropped the first two games of the weekend set after winning four in a row.
It was the shortest outing of the season for Verlander, one of the front-runners for the AL Cy Young Award. The 39-year-old right-hander allowed three hits, struck out six and walked one.
Houston’s bullpen then allowed one run and four hits over six innings.