Jose Altuve hit a two-run homer, while Jon Singleton and Jeremy Peña added RBI singles during a four-run seventh inning, leading the AL West-leading Houston Astros to an 8-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
Yainer Diaz also hit a two-run homer for the Astros, who overwhelmed Boston’s bullpen to secure their third consecutive victory. Alex Bregman and Peña each had three hits.
Altuve’s homer off reliever Lucas Sims in the seventh inning, which tied the game, was his 224th career home run, moving him into fourth place on the team’s all-time list.
“That’s huge,” Peña said of Altuve’s homer that tied the game at 3. “Whenever Josey hits a homer, that’s like a team battery.”
David Hamilton had a two-run double for the Red Sox, who had won three of their last four games and were coming off a 4-2 road trip. Boston’s bullpen allowed seven runs and 12 hits in the last three innings.
Starter Tanner Houck kept the Astros to one run and four hits over six innings before Altuve hit a hanging sweeper from Sims (1-5) that hit a billboard above the Green Monster.
“Obviously, trying to get a run in, we were down by two,” Altuve said. “Basically, just put a ball in play. … I’ve been working on trying to drive the ball again and (have) been getting on base, hitting for power.”
Bregman and Yordan Alvarez hit singles after Altuve’s homer before Diaz added a single off Zack Kelly, loading the bases. Singleton and Peña each got a hit to center, but Zach Dezenzo ended the inning with a double play.
“They’re very aggressive, and today we didn’t do the job,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.
Reliever Tayler Scott struck out Boston star Rafael Devers with the bases loaded in the seventh.
“That was a pretty big one,” Scott said with a smile, realizing it was his 100th career strikeout. “I had no idea that was my 100th. That was the kind of the exclamation mark on the 100th. That was pretty cool.”
Diaz hit his 11th home run of the season in the ninth inning through light rain, sending the ball over the Monster.
Former Red Sox reliever Kaleb Ort (1-0) got four outs and earned the win.
