Jose Siri hit his first two major league homers and the Houston Astros recorded eight extra-base hits in a 15-1 dismantling of the Texas Rangers on Monday in Arlington, Texas.
Yordan Alvarez also went deep twice and Alex Bregman homered for the Astros (84-59), who produced 16 hits while improving to 12-4 against the Rangers this season.
Texas (53-90) had won 6 of 7 games but was knocked out of contention early, falling behind 9-0 after 2 1/2 innings before tallying its lone run. The Rangers were opening a six-game homestand after completing a 6-3 road trip on Sunday.
Siri earned the starting assignment in left field with veteran Michael Brantley sidelined due to knee soreness. He capitalized on the opportunity, slugging a two-run homer in the third inning and a solo shot in the eighth.
He finished 4-for-5 with five RBIs after going a total of 1-for-4 with no RBIs in his first five big-league games.
The Astros made quick work of Rangers rookie right-hander Spencer Howard (0-4), who was making just his second start since his return from the COVID-19 injured list. Howard nearly escaped the top of the first inning with just one run on his ledger, but Carlos Correa ripped a two-run double with two outs and two strikes that extended the Houston lead to 3-0.
Howard recorded just one out in the second before departing. Jose Altuve produced a two-run double for a 5-0 advantage before Alvarez greeted left-handed reliever Wes Benjamin with his 29th home run, a towering 401-foot shot to right field that scored Altuve.
Howard surrendered six runs on six hits and one walk with one strikeout. He threw 51 pitches.
Texas turned to rookie right-hander A.J. Alexy in the third inning. Alexy entered with a combined 11 scoreless innings over his first two career starts, but Siri ended that impressive string with his 413-foot blast to left that scored Jake Meyers and pushed the lead to 9-0.
Bregman smacked a two-run homer, his 10th long ball of the season, off Alexy in the sixth. Later in the inning, Siri added a two-run single off Hyeon-Jong Yang immediately after Alexy departed.
Alvarez notched his 30th home run off Yang in the seventh.
The Astros lost starter Jake Odorizzi in the second inning when he sustained a right foot injury covering first base on a Nick Solak grounder to first baseman Yuli Gurriel. Five Houston relievers combined to limit the Rangers to one run.
Cristian Javier (4-1) yielded a run on three hits and a walk in 2 2/3 innings en route to the win. He struck out six.
–Field Level Media