McCullers Jr. and Hendrickson Combine For Shutout In 11-0 Win
A scoreless rehab outing from RHP Lance McCullers Jr. and an explosive late offensive outburst propelled the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (3-0, 35-42) to an 11-0 victory over the El Paso Chihuahuas (0-3, 35-43) in game three of their six-game series on Thursday night at Constellation Field. Sugar Land opened
A scoreless rehab outing from RHP Lance McCullers Jr. and an explosive late offensive outburst propelled the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (3-0, 35-42) to an 11-0 victory over the El Paso Chihuahuas (0-3, 35-43) in game three of their six-game series on Thursday night at Constellation Field.
Sugar Land opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Cavan Biggio and Trenton Brooks each worked walks to put two aboard before Zach Dezenzo lined an RBI single into left field, bringing home the game's first run and moving Brooks to third. With runners on the corners, Pascanel Ferreras hit an RBI ground out to extend the lead to 2-0.
McCullers Jr. was sharp in his first rehab outing, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out four. The right-hander threw 42 pitches, including 28 strikes, in his first game action since May 13. LHP Josh Hendrickson followed with 5.0 scoreless innings of relief, surrendering four hits while striking out two to keep El Paso off the scoreboard.
LMJ didn’t disappoint!
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) June 26, 2026
3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K #Ascend pic.twitter.com/pvNY2Im0SH
The Space Cowboys added on in the seventh. Riley Unroe worked a walk and stole second to move into scoring position before Biggio ripped an RBI triple, his first of the season, extending his RBI streak to six consecutive games. Shay Whitcomb followed with an RBI single into left, scoring Biggio and pushing Sugar Land's advantage to 4-0.
Brooks' first with the Space Cowboys is GRAND‼️#Ascend pic.twitter.com/3Gpn6LGmZJ
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) June 26, 2026
Sugar Land broke the game open in the eighth inning. Zach Cole drew a walk and Lucas Spence followed with a single before Unroe worked another walk to load the bases. A wild pitch brought home the first run of the inning before Whitcomb drew a walk to reload the bases for Brooks, who launched the first grand slam by a Space Cowboys’ batter this season to make it 9-0.
The Space Cowboys continued to apply pressure, drawing five consecutive walks to plate two additional runs and extend the lead to 11-0. RHP Jose Fleury worked a scoreless ninth inning to seal Sugar Land's third straight victory.
NOTABLE:
- RHP Lance McCullers Jr. tossed 3.0 scoreless innings in his first Major League rehab appearance on Thursday night, allowing just two hits while striking out four. It marked McCullers Jr.'s first game action since May 13 with the Houston Astros against the Seattle Mariners before he was placed on the injured list on May 19 with right shoulder inflammation. McCullers Jr. topped out at 92.2 mph and threw 42 pitches, 28 strikes.
- Cavan Biggio went 1-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, a walk and two runs scored on Thursday night. Biggio has now driven in a run in six consecutive games. During that stretch, Biggio is batting 10-for-25 (.400) with a double, a triple, three home runs, nine RBI, seven walks and 10 runs scored while striking out just six times.
- Riley Unroe went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and two runs scored on Thursday night, recording his first multi-hit game at Constellation Field since game two of a doubleheader against Round Rock on April 25.
- Shay Whitcomb went 1-for-3 with an RBI, two walks and a run scored on Thursday night. Whitcomb has driven in at least one run in each game of the series against El Paso and is 5-for-12 (.417) with a home run, six RBI and four walks while striking out just once through the first three games.
- Trenton Brooks went 1-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, two walks and two runs scored. Brooks’ grand slam marked the first of the season for Sugar Land.
- Sugar Land worked 15 combined walks on Thursday night, including eight in the eighth inning. Their 15 walks is a new season high, surpassing the 13 they drew on Tuesday against El Paso. It’s the first time the Space Cowboys have worked at least 15 walks since April 8, 2025 vs Albuquerque when they drew 17.
The Space Cowboys will look to secure a series victory against the El Paso Chihuahuas on Friday night. RHP Brandon McPherson will take the mound for Sugar Land while El Paso will throw LHP Jackson Wolf for a 7:05 PM first pitch. The game can be seen on the Bally Sports Live app and MiLB.TV and can be heard online anywhere at SLSpaceCowboys.com/Listen.
ABOUT THE SUGAR LAND SPACE COWBOYS:
The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros and compete in the Pacific Coast League. They began play as the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021 and began playing under the Space Cowboys brand in 2022, winning their first Triple-A title in 2024 by clinching both the Pacific Coast League Championship and Triple-A National Championship. The Space Cowboys play at Constellation Field, located at the corner of Hwy-6 and US-90 Alternate in Sugar Land, Texas. Follow the team on Twitter (@SLSpaceCowboys), Instagram (@slspacecowboys), Facebook (SLSpaceCowboys) and their official website (slspacecowboys.com). Season ticket plans for the 2026 season are available now and can be purchased at slspacecowboys.com/tickets.