HOUSTON (AP) — Jeremy Peña homered and Yordan Alvarez got his first hit this season, a tiebreaking double in the sixth inning that lifted the Houston Astros to a 2-1 win over the New York Mets on Saturday night.
Houston took two of three in a season-opening series between 2024 playoff teams.
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti throws against the New York Mets during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets starting pitcher Griffin Canning throws against the Houston Astros during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Astros' Jeremy Peña breaks his bat while grounding out against the New York Mets during the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Juan Soto talks to Houston Astros players in the dugout during the middle of the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Astros' Jeremy Peña celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run against the New York Mets during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Jose Siri, left, scores as Houston Astros catcher Victor Caratini (17) reaches to tag him at home plate during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Astros' Jeremy Peña celebrates after hitting a home run against the New York Mets during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Astros' Jeremy Peña hits a home run against the New York Mets during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez watches his RBI double against the New York Mets during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Spencer Arrighetti (1-0) allowed just one hit, a first-inning double to Juan Soto, and one run with five strikeouts in six innings. Astros closer Josh Hader walked Soto to start the ninth before retiring the next three batters for his second save, completing the one-hitter.
The game was tied with two outs in the sixth when Alvarez knocked a double off the wall in center field to send Isaac Paredes home from first base, putting Houston on top 2-1.
Griffin Canning (0-1) gave up four hits and two runs over 5 2/3 innings in his Mets debut.
Canning had allowed just one hit on a leadoff single to Jose Altuve when Peña gave the Astros their first homer this season on his shot to the seats in left field with no outs in the fifth to make it 1-0.
Soto doubled with one out in the first and Brandon Nimmo walked with two outs. Arrighetti retired the next 13 batters before walking Jose Siri to start the sixth.
Siri stole second against his former team before advancing to third on a flyout by Francisco Lindor.
Soto then grounded out to Arrighetti and Siri dashed home, sliding in just before the tag to tie it at 1.
The Mets went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
The double by Alvarez that gave Houston the lead for good.
Canning, who spent his first five seasons with the Angels, fell to 0-4 in 10 career starts against the Astros.
Both teams are off Sunday before Houston hosts the Giants for a three-game series beginning Monday night and the Mets play at Miami that night.
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti throws against the New York Mets during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets starting pitcher Griffin Canning throws against the Houston Astros during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Astros' Jeremy Peña breaks his bat while grounding out against the New York Mets during the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Juan Soto talks to Houston Astros players in the dugout during the middle of the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Astros' Jeremy Peña celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run against the New York Mets during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Mets' Jose Siri, left, scores as Houston Astros catcher Victor Caratini (17) reaches to tag him at home plate during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Astros' Jeremy Peña celebrates after hitting a home run against the New York Mets during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Astros' Jeremy Peña hits a home run against the New York Mets during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez watches his RBI double against the New York Mets during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The U.N. food agency is closing all of its bakeries in the Gaza Strip, officials said Tuesday, as supplies dwindle after Israel sealed off the territory from all imports nearly a month ago.
Israel, which later resumed its offensive to pressure the Hamas militant group into accepting changes to their ceasefire agreement, said enough food had entered Gaza during the six-week truce to sustain the territory's roughly 2 million Palestinians for a long time.
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Israel’s assertion was “ridiculous,” calling the food shortage very critical. The organization is “at the tail end of our supplies” and a lack of flour and cooking oil are forcing the bakeries to close, Dujarric said Tuesday.
Markets largely emptied weeks ago. U.N. agencies say the supplies they built up during the truce are running out. Gaza is heavily reliant on international aid because the war has destroyed almost all of its food production capability.
Mohammed al-Kurd, a father of 12, said his children go to bed without dinner.
“We tell them to be patient and that we will bring flour in the morning,” he said. “We lie to them and to ourselves.”
For the second consecutive day, Israel’s military warned residents of Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah to immediately evacuate, a sign that it could soon launch a major ground operation. At least 140,000 people were under orders to leave, according to the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.
A World Food Program memo circulated to aid groups said it could no longer operate its remaining bakeries, which produce the bread on which many rely. The U.N. agency said it was prioritizing its remaining stocks to provide emergency food aid and expand hot meal distribution. WFP spokespeople didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said WFP was closing its remaining 19 bakeries after shuttering six last month. She said hundreds of thousands of people relied on them.
The Israeli military body in charge of Palestinian affairs, known as COGAT, said more than 25,000 trucks entered Gaza during the ceasefire, carrying nearly 450,000 tons of aid. It said the amount represented around a third of what has entered during the war.
“There is enough food for a long period of time, if Hamas lets the civilians have it,” it said.
U.N. agencies and aid groups say they struggled to bring in and distribute aid before the ceasefire took hold in January. Their estimates for how much aid reached people in Gaza were consistently lower than COGAT’s, which were based on how much entered through border crossings.
Gaza's Health Ministry reported that at least 42 bodies and more than 180 wounded arrived at hospitals over the past 24 hours. At least 1,042 Palestinians have been killed in the two weeks since Israel broke the ceasefire and resumed heavy bombardments.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Hamas is still holding 59 captives — 24 believed to be alive — after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel's offensive has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, including hundreds killed in strikes since the ceasefire ended, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't say whether those killed are civilians or combatants. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Israel sealed off Gaza from all aid at the start of the war but later relented under pressure from Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, which took credit for helping to broker the ceasefire, has expressed full support for Israel's actions, including its decision to end the truce.
Israel has demanded that Hamas release several hostages before further talks on ending the war. Those negotiations were supposed to begin in early February. It has also insisted that Hamas disarm and leave Gaza, conditions that weren't part of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas has called for implementing the agreement, in which the remaining hostages would be released in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.
Palestinians mourned Mohamed Salah Bardawil, a journalist with Hamas-affiliated Aqsa Radio who was killed along with his wife and three children by an Israeli strike early Tuesday at their home in southern Gaza.
Associated Press footage showed the building in Khan Younis collapsed, with dried blood splattered on the rubble. A child’s school notebook, dust-covered dolls and clothing lay half-buried in the ruins. The Israeli military declined to comment.
The journalist is the nephew of Salah Bardawil, a well-known member of Hamas’ political bureau who was killed in an Israeli strike that also killed his wife last month.
Israeli strikes have killed more than 170 journalists and media workers since the war began, the Committee to Protect Journalists has estimated.
Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Fatma Khaled in Cairo and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Palestinians receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Palestinians receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Mourners carry the bodies of three members of Dahouh family, killed when an Israeli army strike hit their tent, before their burial at the hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Mourners carry the bodies of three members of Dahouh family, killed when an Israeli army strike hit their tent, before their burial at the hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinian children play on swings amid the rubble during Eid al-Fitr in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip, on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinian girls dressed for Eid al-Fitr celebrations walk next to destructions in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
