Pirates rookie Mike Burrows shuts down Astros to pick up first win as a starter in 3-0 victory

PITTSBURGH (AP) — 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 on Wednesday night.

Burrows (1-1), whose rise through the Pirates system was slowed by Tommy John surgery in 2023, allowed five hits and struck out six in 5 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old right-hander took a significant step forward after giving up eight runs in 8 1/3 innings across his first two starts since being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis.

David Bednar worked the ninth for his seventh save.

Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz had two hits apiece for Pittsburgh, which snapped a two-game skid. Andrew McCutchen and Isiah Kiner-Falefa both drove in runs against Houston starter Ryan Gusto (3-3) in the second inning to give Burrows all the offense he would need.

Jeremy Peña had two of Houston's seven hits as the Astros lost for just the third time in their last 10 games.

Gusto, who has split time between the bullpen and the starting rotation, labored through 4 1/3 innings. He needed 83 pitches to record 13 outs and was pulled with two on and one out in the fifth. Gusto allowed three runs on eight hits, with two walks and three strikeouts. The right-hander is 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA in his last six appearances.

Houston's biggest threat came in the sixth when a double by Pena and a walk to Jose Altuve put two on with one out. Pirates reliever Chase Shugart retired the next two hitters, with third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes making a nice play on a grounder by Yainer Diaz to end the threat.

11-13: Pittsburgh's record since Don Kelly replaced Derek Shelton as manager on May 8.

The interleague series wraps up on Thursday. Framber Valdez (5-4, 3.12 ERA) gets the start for Houston against Pittsburgh veteran Mitch Keller (1-7, 3.73).

This story has been corrected to note that this is Burrows' first victory as a starter. He had a victory in relief in 2024.

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Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen (22) hits a sacrifice fly ball off Houston Astros pitcher Ryan Gusto, driving in a run, during the second inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Houston Astros pitcher Ryan Gusto delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen, right, is greeted by Bryan Reynolds (10) as he returns to the dugout after hitting a sacrifice fly off Houston Astros pitcher Ryan Gusto, driving in a run, during the second inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Endy Rodriguez, right, is greeted by Bryan Reynolds after scoring on a sacrifice fly by Andrew McCutchen off Houston Astros pitcher Ryan Gusto during the second inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mike Burrows delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A crack in a damaged chemical tank in Southern California has eliminated the risk of a catastrophic explosion but it's still not safe enough for the remaining 16,000 residents living closest to the aerospace plant to go home, officials said Tuesday.

Crews were spraying water to keep cooling the tank that overheated last week, prompting the evacuation of 50,000 people in the Orange County city of Garden Grove. Most returned home after a crack formed over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, relieving pressure inside.

The evacuation zone remained the same on Tuesday morning, said Orange County Fire Capt. Brian Yau.

Crews worked overnight to ensure two other nearby tanks were neutralized and would not be affected by the compromised tank, he said, adding that material from one of these two tanks was transferred to another that has a neutralizing agent.

“They are moving material over to ensure that all threats have been eliminated,” Yau said.

Those threats include the risk of a very small explosion and potential spill, officials said.

Exposure to methyl methacrylate — a highly flammable chemical used to make plastics — can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological problems and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The tank at the GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems plant contains 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of the chemical.

The interior cooled to 93 degrees F (33.9 degrees C), the county's fire division chief Craig Covey said Monday, down from 100 degrees (37.7 degrees C) a day earlier. The company said its technical specialists and the county fire authority have removed insulation from the tank to help cool it.

Health officials sought to reassure people who are returning to homes near the plant.

“There was no contamination. There were no fumes,” Orange County Health Director Regina Chinsio-Kwong said at Monday's news conference. “There was not a leak. So it should be, you should feel comfortable going home even if you’re across the street from that new zone line.”

The South Coast Air Quality Management District will monitor the air for several months and the EPA will be checking sewer and storm drains for spills, Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen said.

Garden Grove Unified School District said last week it was shutting a dozen schools through what was supposed to be the last day of the school year on Wednesday but later said only three would remain closed Tuesday. It was unclear if they would reopen before the school year ends this week.

At a parking lot at a large park in Fountain Valley, just southwest of Garden Grove, people sought refuge in an ad hoc shelter there or pitched tents outside. Other people gathered in the park to enjoy Memorial Day.

Kim Yen, a retiree who was still evacuated from her home two blocks from the plant, welcomed news that the worst was not expected.

“I am happy and many of us are happy,” she said Monday.

She said she's ready to go back but wants to be sure it’s safe first. She's also been worrying about the emergency workers, who she called “our heroes.”

As the tank heated up, the chemical converted from liquid to gas, ramping up the pressure and explosion risk, said Andrew Whelton, a Purdue University engineering professor who has studied environmental contamination. Some of the methyl methacrylate may already have hardened into a stable plastic similar to plexiglass, reducing the danger, he said.

The tank could eventually cool enough for crews to safely stabilize and drain the remaining material without triggering a spark or ignition, Whelton said.

However, he said there is still a risk of an explosion while the chemical remains hot and reactive. Temperatures need to fall closer to 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 21.1 degrees C) before conditions are considered significantly safer, he said.

GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields for military and commercial aircraft. It employs about 16,000 people across 32 manufacturing sites in 12 countries, according to the company website.

“We apologize for the ongoing disruption this incident is causing and our priority remains its safe resolution, so that residents can return to their homes as quickly as possible,” the company said.

GKN Aerospace agreed in 2025 to pay state regulators more than $900,000 to settle violations involving recordkeeping, permitting issues and nitrogen oxide emissions, according to a report on the South Coast Air Quality Management District website.

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This story has been corrected to attribute a quote to TJ McGovern, interim fire chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, not to division chief Craig Covey.

Willingham reported from Boston. Contributing were Associated Press journalists Jamie Stengle in Dallas; Ethan Swope in Garden Grove, California; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles.

Two evacuees sit in their pickup truck at a gas station within the evacuation zone in Stanton, Calif., Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

An aerial view shows a police checkpoint enforcing a road closure at the evacuation zone boundary in Anaheim, Calif., Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jan De Jonge and fiancé Sher Stuckman set up a tent with their belonging and pet outside the Elks Lodge in Garden Grove, Calif., on Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

An evacuation map is displayed at the incident command post at the Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Water is sprayed on a damaged tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2026, after the tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

People walk outside Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., on Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

An American Red Cross volunteer walks outside Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif.,on Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

People tend to their pets outside Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., on Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)