HOUSTON (AP)– Jose Altuve had three hits and scored the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning to help the Houston Astros complete a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 6-5 win on Wednesday night.
The game was tied at 5 in the seventh when Kelvin Herrera (1-2) plunked Altuve on the forearm. Altuve stole second and reached third on a lineout. He put Houston on top when he beat the tag at the plate on a fielder’s choice by Chris Carter.
The play was reviewed and upheld.
The Astros trailed early before taking a 5-3 lead after a four-run fifth inning. A two-run triple by Jarrod Dyson off Josh Fields tied it in the seventh before Altuve scored the go-ahead run.
Luke Gregerson (3-1) pitched a perfect ninth for the win.
Carter and Marwin Gonzalez hit solo homers for Houston and Evan Gattis drove in two runs.
The Astros have the most wins in the American League at 47-34, but the Royals have the best winning percentage in the AL at 44-31.
Houston rookie starter Vince Velasquez yielded five hits and four runs with seven strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings but did not factor into the decision. He hasn’t recorded a decision in any of the first five starts of his career to tie an MLB record set by three others, the last time coming in 1997 by Chris Brock.
Kendrys Morales hit a two-run homer in the first to give Kansas City an early lead and Alex Rios drove in a run in the second.
Velasquez retired 13 in a row after the hit by Rios, with Kansas City’s next hit coming with on a single by Lorenzo Cain with one out in the sixth inning. But the rookie still faced the minimum in that inning thanks to a double play.
Edinson Volquez tied season highs with eight hits and five runs in five-plus innings. He struck out six and allowed a season-high two homers.
Volquez had retired 10 of 11 batters when Carter hit the 100th homer of his career with one out in the fourth to get the Astros within 3-1.
Gonzalez’s homer, which landed several rows into the stands in right field, started the scoring in the fifth inning to make it 3-2. Volquez then walked Jason Castro before plunking George Springer on the hand. Altuve’s RBI single tied it up before the single by Gattis sent two home to put Houston on top 5-3. Gattis was out at second on the play and Volquez struck out Luis Valbuena and Carter to end the inning.
Cain hit a two-out triple with two outs in the first inning before the shot by Morales, which landed in the Crawford Boxes in left field to put the Royals up 2-0.
