Peña and Alvarez power Astros to homestand-opening win
Houston defeated Kansas City 4–2 as Jeremy Peña hit two home runs and Hunter Brown struck out 10.
The Houston Astros opened their homestand with a 4–2 win over the Kansas City Royals at Daikin Park, moving to 76–75 and maintaining a narrow American League West lead, according to Yahoo Sports.
Jeremy Peña led Houston’s offence with two home runs and three of the Astros’ four hits. Yordan Alvarez added a two-run homer, his 39th of the season, and drew two walks.
The performance came as both hitters looked to reverse recent struggles. Alvarez’s home run was reportedly only his fourth in his previous 36 games, while Peña had also been in a slump.
Hunter Brown allowed one run over five innings and tied his season high with 10 strikeouts. He handed the bullpen a 4–1 lead before Bennett Sousa allowed a home run to Vinnie Pasquantino in the sixth.
AJ Blubaugh, Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader secured the final nine outs. The result kept Houston at least one game ahead of the Texas Rangers, pending Texas’s result, with 11 games remaining.
