ASTROS 9, TWINS 1
HOUSTON (AP) - Alex Bregman homered and had five RBIs, and Evan Gattis hit his 25th home run to help Houston rout Minnesota.
The defending champs have won five straight, finishing a 10-game homestand with a 7-3 record. Houston has won 12 of its last 15 games entering a three-game series in major league-leading Boston.
Bregman gave the Astros a 2-0 lead in the third inning with his 29th homer of the season, a line-drive shot off Jake Odorizzi into the left-field Crawford Boxes. He added a three-run double off the left-field wall with the bases loaded in the eighth inning, his 47th double, to put Houston up 9-1.
Gattis extended Houston's lead to 4-0 with a two-run homer in the fourth inning off Odorizzi.
Houston went up 5-1 with an RBI single to right from Yuli Gurriel off Odorizzi (5-10).
Houston starter Framber Valdez (3-1) went 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits and three walks while striking out five.