Astros: Hunter Brown pitched six shutout innings, Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez hit home runs and the Astros beat the Blue Jays 3-1 on Monday afternoon for their 10th win in 11 games. After going 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA in five June starts, Brown (6-5) opened July with another solid outing. The right-hander allowed two hits, both singles. He walked three and struck out five. Decked out in special red jerseys and caps, the Blue Jays lost on the Canada Day holiday for a second year in a row. After Rafael Montero worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning, the Blue Jays loaded the bases against Bryan Abreu in the eighth. Abreu escaped by getting Daulton Varsho to ground out. Josh Hader allowed a solo home run to Ernie Clement in the ninth but finished for his 13th save in 14 chances. The Blue Jays have played 36 innings against the Astros this season and scored in just two of them. The Blue Jays won 2-1 on April 2 when David Schneider hit a two-run home run off Hader in the ninth inning.

Blue Jays: Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was scratched from the lineup for Monday afternoon’s Canada Day game against the Astros because of pain in his right hand. About an hour after Guerrero was scratched, infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa was also removed from the lineup because of a sore left knee. Spencer Horwitz replaced Guerrero at first base and Ernie Clement was added to the lineup at third base.

Mets: Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo missed Monday night’s game against the Nationals after being injured in a fall in his hotel room overnight Manager Carlos Mendoza said Nimmo cut his forehead in the fall, but did not have a concussion. “In the middle of the night he woke up, needed to go to the bathroom and slipped,” Mendoza said. “Hit his forehead so he’s got a pretty big cut.”

Brewers: Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell was activated from the injured list, clearing the way for him to make his season debut after missing three months with a fractured left index finger. The NL Central-leading Brewers also optioned infielder Tyler Black to Triple-A Nashville and designated infielder Owen Miller for assignment on Monday before opening a four-game series at Colorado. Mitchell has shown promise since the Brewers selected him out of UCLA with the 20th overall pick in the 2020 draft, but injuries frequently have kept the 25-year-old off the field. After getting called up late in the 2022 season, Mitchell opened 2023 as the Brewers’ starting center fielder but tore a labrum in his left shoulder sliding into third base on April 18 and didn’t return until late September.

MLB: Former pitcher Andrew Miller was hired by the Major League Baseball Players Association on Monday as special assistant for strategic initiatives. Miller pitched in the major leagues from 2006-21 and was a two-time All-Star. He was 55-55 with 63 saves with a 4.03 ERA in 612 games with the Tigers (2006-07), Marlins (2008-10), Red Sox (2011-14), Orioles (2014), Yankees (2015-16), Cleveland (2016-18) and the Cardinals (2019-21). He served on the union’s eight-man executive subcommittee during negotiations to restart the sport during the 2020 pandemic and during labor bargaining in 2021-22.