Yanier Diaz smashed a key three-run homer, and Mauricio Dubon and Jose Altuve twice hit back-to-back blasts to help the Houston Astros notch a 13-6 victory over the host Texas Rangers on Monday afternoon at Arlington, Texas.
Altuve and Alex Bregman each had four hits and two RBIs for Houston, which ended a three-game slide.
Corey Seager hit two homers and Mitch Garver hit one for Texas, which lost for the 13th time in 17 games.
The Astros (78-61) moved into a virtual tie for first place in the American League West with the Seattle Mariners. The Rangers (76-61) are one game out
Diaz’s blast was part of a six-run outburst in the seventh that gave the Astros an 11-5 lead.
Houston loaded the bases on one walk and two singles before Jose Abreu drew a walk off Josh Sborz (5-7) to force in Yordan Alvarez.
Chas McCormack followed with a grounder to shortstop but Seager booted the potential double-play ball and two runs scored as the Astros took an 8-5 lead.
Diaz followed by pounding a hanging slider from Sborz for a 453-foot homer into the second deck in left-center field. It was Diaz’s 21st homer of the season.
Dubon went deep to right in the ninth for his ninth homer of the season and his first career multi-homer game. Altuve followed with a blast to center, his 12th of the season.
Texas’ Josh Smith hit his fifth homer of the season in the bottom of the ninth.
Rafael Montero (3-3) retired three straight batters in the sixth.
Seager hit a two-run homer to right-center field in the bottom of the first.
Texas went ahead 3-0 in the third on Garver’s RBI single.
Houston knotted the score in the fifth on Jeremy Pena run-scoring single and Bregman’s two-run ground single.
Seager gave Texas a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the inning when he slammed a homer, his 28th, to center.
Houston moved ahead in the sixth when Dubon and Altuve hit back-to-back homers off Glenn Otto.
The Rangers tied the game in the sixth on Garver’s homer to left center. It was his 16th of the season.
Houston’s J.P. France allowed five runs and six hits in five innings. He struck out five and walked three.
Andrew Heaney of Texas gave up three runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out one.
—Field Level Media
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