Jared Jones gave his team a scare two batters into the game, then was in control after that. Ryan O'Hearn homered and drove in three runs, Jones threw five shutout innings while picking up his first win in 21 months and Pittsburgh defeated the Astros, 5-1, at Daikin Park on Thursday night for its fifth win in six games. Jones scattered four hits with two walks and four strikeouts to pick up his first win since Sept. 9, 2024. Jones allowed five runs and struck out six in 4 1/3 innings in his first start of the season on May 29 against the Twins. Jones called the win “special.” “First start back was obviously pretty tough, but you kind of take that stuff with a grain of salt.” Jones said. “It was the first time in 600-plus days. Nobody was expecting it. I expected it of myself. That start was always going to happen. Getting this bounceback win is a pretty cool feeling.” Leading off the bottom of the first, Jones, who missed all of last season with a right elbow UCL sprain that required surgery, spun around and fell to the ground on a throw to first on a weak grounder by Jeremy Peña. The right-hander uncorked a wild pitch and threw a ball in the dirt to Yordan Alvarez before manager Don Kelly and a trainer came to check him out. Following a couple of warm-up pitches, Jones stayed in. He walked Alvarez but then struck out the next three batters to end the first. “That was awesome,” Kelly said of Jones’ pitching performance. “Jonesy threw the ball really well. I was concerned about him after … that was an athletic attempt he had trying to make that play. That’s an extremely difficult throw to make. He landed on his elbow. He’s able to settle down there in the first inning and pitched extremely well. Then, Carmen \[Mlodzinski\
