Astros pull away from A’s with seven-run 6th inning

Jose Altuve and Victor Caratini each slammed a three-run homer during a seven-run seventh inning to help the Houston Astros maul the Athletics 11-4 on Wednesday night in West Sacramento, Calif.
Mauricio Dubon also homered as Houston racked up a season-high 20 hits while winning for the seventh time in the past eight games. Altuve, Caratini, Jake Meyers, Jeremy Pena and Cam Smith had three hits apiece for the Astros.
Framber Valdez (8-4) gave up two runs and five hits over six innings to win his sixth straight start and improve to 7-0 over his past eight outings. Valdez walked a season-worst five and struck out three.
Nick Kurtz homered among three hits and drove in two runs for the Athletics, who have lost back-to-back games following a season-high four-game winning streak. Austin Wynns had two hits and an RBI.
Athletics starter Luis Severino (2-7) allowed two runs and nine hits over five innings while dropping to 0-7 in 10 home starts this season. He fanned five and walked one.
Houston broke out after Severino departed and Tyler Ferguson entered in the top of the sixth with the Astros holding a 2-1 lead.
Pena singled with two outs and Paredes walked before Altuve smashed an 0-1 fastball over the fence in left-center. The 432-foot blast was Altuve’s 24th career homer against the A’s.
Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker followed with singles before Smith ripped a double to left field, making it 6-1.
Sean Newcomb replaced Ferguson, and Caratini ripped his second pitch over the wall in left for a 9-1 edge.
Kurtz hit an RBI single in the bottom of the frame.
Meyers had an RBI double and Pena added a run-scoring groundout in the ninth to conclude the Astros’ assault.
Kurtz led off the bottom of the ninth with a homer, his third blast in the four games. Max Schuemann had his popup land in right-center for an RBI single later in the inning.
Diaz and Dubon added two hits apiece for Houston, which has scored 24 runs, compiled 35 hits and socked eight homers over the past two games against the A’s.
The Athletics held a 1-0 lead in the second after Kurtz doubled with one out and scored on Wynns’ two-out single.
Dubon led off the third with a homer to left-center to knot the score.
Pena dropped a bloop single into right in the fourth to score Caratini for a 2-1 lead.