HOUSTON — Rookie starter J.P. France overcame a wild first inning to permit one run in six innings, Jose Altuve socked his sixteenth dwelling run and the Astros erupted for eight runs within the sixth to blast the Padres, 12-2, on Sunday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.
The Astros, winners of 10 of their final 14 video games, improved to a season-high 20 video games over .500 (82-62) and have opened up a 2 1/2-game lead atop the American League West over the Mariners with 18 video games remaining. And Houston has an opportunity to pad its lead with 9 of its subsequent 12 video games in opposition to the A’s and Royals — two groups with the worst data in baseball.
France walked the bases loaded with one out within the first, however he escaped the jam, pitching out and in of bother en path to his eleventh win of the season. The run solely he allowed got here on a homer by Matt Carpenter within the sixth inning.
Altuve’s homer put Houston forward 3-0 within the third, and the Astros despatched 12 batters to the plate within the sixth, starting the inning with six consecutive hits off reliever Tim Hill. Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker tripled twice within the sixth, turning into the primary participant in Astros historical past and the eleventh in AL/NL historical past to triple twice in the identical inning, in accordance with Elias.
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