Astros' Brandon Bielak: Dominant in long-relief outing

Bielak (1-0) earned the win Sunday against Oakland, striking out four in 4.2 innings of relief without allowing a single baserunner.

It's rare that the reliever who picks up a win after a starter fails to throw five innings truly deserves the honor, but this is not one of those cases. Bielak's innings weren't particularly stressful, as he entered with a four-run lead in the bottom of the fifth and saw that extended to seven runs in the top of the sixth, but he couldn't have handled his assignment much more impressively. Bielak isn't the sort of pitcher who would be expected to retire 14 straight batters, as he struggled to a 6.75 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in his 32-inning debut last season, but it's possible his outing signals the start of something new.