HOUSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez homered for the first time since returning from a fractured right hand, helping Framber Valdez and the Houston Astros beat the Colorado Rockies 4-0 on Wednesday night.
Alvarez hit a two-run drive off Angel Chivilli in the eighth inning for his fourth homer this season. The slugger was activated from the 60-day injured list Tuesday and went 0 for 2 with two walks in his first game back.
Valdez (12-7) allowed three hits — all singles — in seven innings. The left-hander struck out five and walked two.
Cam Smith also went deep for Houston, which remained 1 1/2 games ahead of Seattle for the top spot in the AL West.
Colorado wasted a sharp performance by rookie right-hander Chase Dollander (2-11), who matched a career high with seven strikeouts in six innings of one-run ball.
Jesús Sánchez hit an RBI single for Houston in the first, and Smith led off the seventh with his first homer since June 28. It was Smith's eighth homer on the season.
Houston played without manager Joe Espada, who missed the game due to an illness. Bench coach Omar Lopez managed in his absence.
Tyler Freeman had two hits for the Rockies, but All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman was ejected by home plate umpire James Hoye after he struck out in the sixth inning.
On his 99th and final pitch of the night, Valdez stranded the tying run at the third base by getting Kyle Karros to fly out to left.
Valdez is 4-0 with a 1.40 ERA in four career starts against Colorado.
Astros right-hander Jason Alexander (4-1, 4.59 ERA) faces Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland (3-13, 5.31 ERA) when the series concludes on Thursday.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Houston Astros catcher César Salazar celebrates with relief pitcher Bryan Abreu (52) after winning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Houston, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez celebrates after hitting a home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Houston, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez hits a home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Houston, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. Jeremy Peña also scored. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand (AP) — A new construction accident on a road near Thailand's capital, Bangkok, was reported on Thursday, just 24 hours after a construction crane fell on a moving passenger train in the country's northeast, killing at least 32 people.
There was no immediate official confirmation of deaths in Thursday’s accident, but the Facebook page of Fire & Rescue Thailand, which covers the activities of volunteer firefighters and rescue workers, said at least one person was killed.
The accident occurred at the site of an elevated road construction project.
Meanwhile, the search for survivors from Wednesday’s train accident in Nakhon Ratchasima province has ended, said provincial governor Anuphong Suksomnit. Officials said three passengers listed as missing were presumed to have gotten off the train earlier, but that was still being investigated.
Officials believed there had been 171 people aboard the train’s three carriages, which were being removed from the scene on Thursday.
The latest accident on the outskirts of Bangkok saw a construction crane collapse on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province at around 9 a.m., according to the government's Public Relations Department, which added that two vehicles were trapped in the wreckage, which included massive metal girders.
Rescue operations were underway, the statement added.
The construction project, an extension of the Rama 2 Road expressway — a major artery leading from Bangkok — has become notorious in recent years for construction accidents, some of them fatal.
At the train accident scene in Nakhon Ratchasima, work to remove the wreckage continued Thursday, after search and rescue operations concluded Wednesday night. The accident saw a falling crane derail and crush parts of the train under it.
The authorities said the crane that fell was a launching gantry crane, a mobile piece of equipment often used in building elevated roadways.
Narongsak Promta, the provincial police chief of Nakhon Ratchasima, told reporters at the site that police are working to verify the status of all passengers to determine the status of the three people listed as missing.
He said police are still collecting evidence and interviewing relevant parties and have not yet pressed charges against any party.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry reported that one South Korean national, a man in his late 30s, was among the dead. The ministry is providing consular services to the bereaved family.
The two-stage high-speed rail project on which the accident occurred has a total investment cost of more than 520 billion baht ($16.8 billion) and is associated with an ambitious plan to connect China with Southeast Asia under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
In August 2024, a railway tunnel on the planned route, also in Nakhon Ratchasima, collapsed, killing three workers.
Anan Phonimdaeng, acting governor of the State Railway of Thailand, said the project’s contractor is Italian-Thai Development, with a Chinese company responsible for design and construction supervision.
A statement posted on the website of the company, also known as Italthai, expressed condolences to the victims and said the company would take responsibility for paying compensation to the families of the dead and hospitalization expenses for the injured.
The rail accident sparked outrage because Italthai was also the co-lead contractor for the State Audit Building in Bangkok that collapsed during construction in March last year during a major earthquake.
About 100 people were killed in the collapse, which was the only major structure in Thailand to suffer such serious damage. Dozens of executives were indicted in connection with the disaster but none have yet been tried.
The involvement of Chinese companies in both projects has also drawn attention, as has Italthai and Chinese companies’ involvement in the construction of several expressway extensions in and around Bangkok where several accidents, some fatal, have occurred.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday the government was aware of the reports about the rail accident and had expressed condolences.
It was not immediately clear which companies were involved in Thursday's road construction accident.
Associated Press writers Wasamon Audjarint in Bangkok and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul contributed to this report.
Forensic workers inspect the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A cuddly toy lies on the ground at the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
