Yordan Alvarez homered twice and Jose Abreu belted his first of the year in a season-best Houston power display, and the visiting Astros completed a three-game sweep of the reeling Oakland Athletics in dominant fashion with a 10-1 victory Sunday afternoon.
Jake Meyers, Chas McCormick, Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena also homered for the Astros, who outscored the A’s 21-6 in the three-game sweep.
The seven homers were two more than Houston’s previous season high, established last Monday in a 12-2 win at Milwaukee.
Cristian Javier combined with four relievers on a six-hitter as Houston has won 11 of its last 13 games.
Oakland’s only run came on a Ryan Noda homer on Javier’s third pitch of the game, which temporarily drew the hosts even after Alvarez had gone deep on A’s opener Ken Waldichuk in the top of the first. The homer was Noda’s fifth.
The Astros used the long ball to gradually pull away, beginning with a three-run blast by Meyers, his fourth, in the fourth.
That homer came off A’s bulk-innings reliever Luis Medina (0-4), who allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out five.
The homers by McCormick, his third, and Altuve, his first, also came off Medina in the seventh, increasing the Houston lead to 6-1.
Abreu finally joined the home run fun in his 51st game as an Astro with a solo shot in the eighth, before Pena and Alvarez went back-to-back in the ninth. Pena’s homer was his eighth, while Alvarez’s pair increased his season total to 14.
Abreu homered 243 times in his nine-year career with the Chicago White Sox.
In winning his fourth straight start, Javier (6-1) coasted through five innings, allowing one run and four hits. He walked three and struck out three.
Parker Mushinski, Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek and Rafael Montero went an inning apiece to complete Houston’s sixth consecutive win over Oakland this season.
Altuve had three hits and scored twice for the Astros, while Corey Julks joined Alvarez with two hits each.
Noda added a walk and a double to his homer for the A’s, who dropped their 11th straight and next host the Atlanta Braves for three in a row.
–Field Level Media
