Astros 6, Yankees 2
NEW YORK -- Right-hander Collin McHugh pitched 6 1/3 innings, designated hitter Evan Gattis homered twice and the Houston Astros scored four times in the fifth inning during a 6-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Wednesday.
Houston (71-57) won its first series of at least three games on the road since sweeping San Diego, April 27-29, and the Astros did so by outscoring the Yankees 20-4.
New York (69-57) scored on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth Monday and a groundout in the ninth Tuesday in a 15-1 loss before getting a two-run home run by Didi Gregorius off McHugh (14-7) in the seventh Wednesday.
Gattis recorded his fifth career multi-homer game, hitting solo shots in the second and eighth. His first home run landed in the first row of the right-field seats, and the second homer sailed over the Houston bullpen and into the first row of the left-field bleachers.
Left fielder Jake Marisnick had a bunt RBI single, second baseman Jose Altuve lifted a sacrifice fly and left fielder Marwin Gonzalez added a run-scoring single.
Center fielder Carlos Gomez, who got into a shouting match with the Yankees on Tuesday, heard boos each time he was introduced Wednesday. He reached twice and scored a run.
The home runs and four-run fifth were enough for McHugh, who picked up his 21st victory since Aug. 1, 2014, by holding the Yankees to five hits. He struck out eight, walked two and threw 107 pitches.
The only mistake McHugh made was a first-pitch curveball to Gregorius, who hit his sixth home run.
While McHugh had little difficulty becoming Houston's second 14-game winning, right-hander Michael Pineda (9-8) had a tough outing in his return from a right forearm injury.
In his first start since July 24, Pineda allowed five runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He fell to 4-8 in 13 starts since his 16-strikeout game May 10 vs. Baltimore.
In the fifth inning, Houston put together its fourth inning of at least four runs in the series. And it could have been more.
The Astros had runners at the corners when Marisnick bunted to first baseman Greg Bird. The Yankees appeared to have a miscommunication on who was covering first base, and Gomez scored the second run.
A sacrifice fly by Altuve made it 3-0, and the Astros scored their final two runs of the inning on a single up the middle by Gonzalez and a wild pitch by Chasen Shreve. Houston could have had more, but right fielder Colby Rasmus struck out looking on a close 3-2 pitch and Gattis popped up.
Rasmus was ejected by plate umpire Sam Holbrook for arguing the call. Manager A.J. Hinch briefly came out to discuss the call but was not tossed.
NOTES: New York CF Jacoby Ellsbury (sore hip) was held out of the lineup and may not play Friday. Ellsbury injured his hip Tuesday during a five-run first inning trying to make a diving catch on a fly ball by Houston RF Colby Rasmus. ... Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira (right leg) was held out of the lineup because it was a day game and he still has soreness in his bruised leg. ... Houston OF George Springer will travel with the team to Minnesota and continue taking batting practice before possibly starting a rehab assignment. ... Astros SS Carlos Correa had his first day off since July 1. ... Besides activating RHP Michael Pineda from the 15-day disabled list, the Yankees made three other pitching moves, recalling RHP Nick Goody from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, designating LHP Chris Capuano for assignment and optioning RHP Nick Rumbelow to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.