HOUSTON (AP) — Austin Hays hit two homers and had four RBIs for the Baltimore Orioles in a 9-5 victory over slumping Houston on Tuesday night, cutting the Astros’ AL West lead to a half-game over Texas.
Hays hit a three-run shot off Astros starter Hunter Brown (11-12) into the left-field Crawford Boxes to put Baltimore up 5-2 in the third inning. He followed with a solo shot to deep left-center field in the seventh, putting Baltimore up 8-5.
Houston entered Tuesday with a 1 1/2 game lead in the AL West over Texas and Seattle with 11 games remaining, but that lead was trimmed to one-half a game by the Astros’ loss and the Rangers' 6-4 win against Boston. Houston has lost four of its last five games and six of its last eight.
The Orioles have won four straight and have a 2 1/2 game lead over Tampa Bay for the AL’s best record.
A two-run sixth inning extended Baltimore’s lead to 7-3 after James McCann scored Cedric Mullins on a bunt single and Gunnar Henderson singled to score Adam Frazier.
Heston Kjerstad also homered for Baltimore in the seventh.
Brown allowed seven runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings, while striking out five and walking two.
Orioles starter Kyle Gibson (15-9) went 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and five hits, while striking out five and walking two. DL Hall (3-0) worked 2/3 of an inning to earn the win and Cionel Perez earned his second save.
Ryan O’Hearn hit a two-run homer to give Baltimore a first-inning lead. Houston tied it at 2 in the bottom of the inning when Kyle Tucker hit a two-run home run, his 28th of the season.
Alex Bregman hit a homer in the third, cutting Baltimore’s lead to 5-3 and Yainer Diaz homered in the sixth, making it 7-5.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Baltimore: 1B Ryan Mountcastle (left shoulder discomfort) was out of the lineup again for a sixth consecutive game on Tuesday, but Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said he’s feeling better and is close to a return.
Houston: RHP reliever Ryne Stanek (ankle) was placed on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday. Stanek suffered a sprained right ankle on Sept. 4.
UP NEXT
In the series finale on Wednesday afternoon, Houston RHP Cristian Javier (9-4, 4.74 ERA) is scheduled to square off against Baltimore RHP Kyle Bradish (11-7, 3.12 ERA).
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