Chas McCormick and Jose Altuve slugged two home runs apiece and the Houston Astros capped a two-game series sweep of the visiting Texas Rangers with an 8-4 victory Wednesday.
The Astros bashed a season-high six home runs, four off Rangers right-hander Jordan Lyles, en route to their 12th victory in 16 games.
Excluding Altuve, who socked his club-leading 14th and 15th home runs, the Astros’ power barrage didn’t showcase their usual cast of characters.
McCormick homered in the second and sixth innings to give him eight for the season. Martin Maldonado belted his fifth home run two batters after McCormick gave the Astros a 3-0 lead in the second inning.
Myles Straw smacked his first homer of the season and just the second of his career with two outs in the fourth for a 5-1 lead.
After the Rangers scored twice in the top of the sixth, McCormick answered by leading off the bottom of the inning with a 438-foot blast to center field to give Houston a 6-3 lead.
Altuve’s solo shot to left in the first inning started what was a rough outing for Lyles (2-5).
Lyles had allowed multiple home runs only twice in his 13 starts this season, and only four homers in his previous seven starts combined. He surrendered five runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings. McCormick’s second bomb came off Texas left-hander Taylor Hearn. Altuve added his second homer off Ian Kennedy in the eighth.
Astros right-hander Zack Greinke (7-2) cruised before departing with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth. He faced just two batters over the minimum through five innings, allowing a leadoff homer to Eli White and a walk later in the third inning. A double play in the fifth erased Willie Calhoun, who led off with a single.
Nick Solak greeted Astros left-hander Brooks Raley with a two-run single, with both runs charged to Greinke, who allowed three runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
White homered again leading off the seventh to become the second player in club history to post his first two home runs in the same game. Carlos Pena pulled the trick on Sept. 19, 2001.
Texas dropped to 0-6 at Minute Maid Park this season and has lost 19 of its last 20 road games. Astros third baseman Alex Bregman departed with a left quad strain prior to the second inning.
–Field Level Media