Jose Altuve produced his second multi-homer game in less than a week, while Hunter Brown delivered his American League-leading ninth quality start as the Houston Astros rolled to an 11-1 victory over the slumping Athletics on Tuesday.
Altuve homered in consecutive innings off Athletics starter JP Sears (4-5). His two-run blast to center field lifted the Astros to a 9-1 lead with one out in the fourth and chased Sears from the mound. Altuve ignited a three-run third inning with his leadoff homer to left for a five-run lead.
The Astros pounced on Sears in the bottom of the second, stringing together three consecutive two-out, extra-base hits. Chas McCormick and Mauricio Dubon stroked back-to-back RBI doubles before Jeremy Pena doubled the 2-0 lead with a two-run homer to left, his seventh.
Houston stretched that margin to 5-0 when Altuve socked his seventh home run. Four batters later, Cam Smith drilled a two-run double to center that scored Jake Meyers, who doubled with one out, and Yainer Diaz, who scored from first when his walk preceded the Smith double.
Two batters after Pena opened the fourth with a single, Altuve recorded his 13th career multi-homer game and first since Thursday, when he accomplished the feat against the Seattle Mariners. Altuve finished 4-for-4 with three RBIs and notched his 40th career four-hit game.
Sears allowed nine runs on 10 hits and one walk with one strikeout over 3 1/3 innings. It marked his third consecutive loss, with Sears allowing 19 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings during that stretch.
The Athletics have lost 12 of 13.
Brown (7-3) faced the minimum through three innings, including striking out the side in the second. He fell behind Lawrence Butler leading off the fourth and challenged him with a fastball that Butler belted 418 feet to center field for his eighth homer. Brown rebounded by retiring the next three batters and then facing the minimum in the fifth. When the Athletics loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, Brown induced Brent Rooker to ground into a double play.
Brown allowed one run on six hits with eight strikeouts over six innings.
Christian Walker socked a two-run homer, his seventh, in the sixth. The Astros recorded 13 hits, their fifth consecutive game with 11-plus hits.
–Field Level Media
