HOUSTON — Astros manager Joe Espada hasn’t been shy about going to his bench in the middle of games, which is something his predecessor, Dusty Baker, seldom did. Baker managed the Astros to the 2022 World Series title, but this year’s team is built differently than that championship club or even last year’s team.

With All-Star slugger Kyle Tucker out with an injury since June 3 and some other players having down seasons, Espada has had to turn to his bench whenever he sees an opportunity to score. It paid off perfectly Wednesday night when Mauricio Dubón hit a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the sixth inning to send the Astros to a 5-4 win over the Pirates at Minute Maid Park.

“Not having Tucker in the middle of the lineup, they just need to be ready,” Espada said. “There’s been some underperformance, so sometimes getting everyone involved helps get some guys jump-started and gets them going.”

Dubón crushed the first pitch he saw from right-hander Colin Holderman, who had just entered the game after Dubón was announced as the pinch-hitter for lefty Jon Singleton. He crushed a homer a Statcast-projected 399 feet over the Crawford Boxes in left field to put the Astros ahead, 5-4. Houston wiped out a 4-0 deficit to snap a three-game losing streak and move back into a virtual first-place tie with the Mariners in the American League West.

“I got to the big leagues hitting everybody,” Dubón said. “It didn’t matter to me. I’m going to go up there early to make something happen. I was not trying to hit a home run. I was trying to get on base for the guys and ended up catching it out front.”

The home run was the first career pinch-hit homer for Dubón and the second of the season for the Astros. Victor Caratini hit a pinch-hit homer April 30 against the Guardians, and it was Caratini who had a pinch-hit single in the sixth inning in Houston’s comeback win over the Dodgers on Saturday.

“We’ve gotten some big at-bats from the bench — Caratini, Dubón,” Espada said. “Everybody’s contributing, and that’s how you win games, that’s how you stay in the season and come back from the hole we were in early in the season. They all know my thought process. We tell them before the series what I’m thinking, and they’ve been ready.”

Dubón’s homer ended a frustrating July in which he slashed .176/.208/.314. Three of Dubón’s four homers this year have come with men on base, and the fact he routinely puts the ball in play — his 3.34 pitches per plate appearances entering Wednesday were the fewest in the Major Leagues with at least 250 plate appearances — means something’s going to happen when he steps up.

“Dubón with people on base, you know you’re going to get contact,” Espada said. “Big swing. Huge swing.”

The homer made a winner out of Astros starter Framber Valdez (10-5), who allowed four earned runs and struck out 10 batters in six innings. Valdez, who has struck out 10 batters in consecutive starts for the first time in his career, improved to 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA in his past seven starts, all of which the Astros have won.

Valdez gave Dubón a hug in the dugout following the homer.

“The winner is the one that has the most fun and obviously I gave him a hug for me being able to come out there with a decision,” Valdez said. “That’s something he really deserved, putting the team in a position to win.”

The Astros’ backend relief trio of Bryan Abreu, Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader each threw a scoreless inning. Abreu needed just seven pitches for a 1-2-3 seventh, Pressly has been scoreless in 16 of his last 17 appearances and Hader improved to 21-of-22 in save chances.

“Honestly, I think these guys never give up,” Hader said. “For Dubi to come in and pinch-hit and with a new pitcher on top of that and be able to give us the lead, and for us in the ‘pen to hold that, I think it’s good momentum going into the off-day and a big series against Tampa.”