Orioles hit five homers, but lose to Astros
BALTIMORE -- Jose Altuve homered and drove in five runs, sparking an 18-hit Houston attack as the Astros overcame five Baltimore home runs en route to a 15-8 victory over the Orioles Friday night.
Altuve finished 3-for-6 with a two-run homer, a two-run double plus an RBI single as the Astros (62-60) snapped a five-game losing streak.
George Springer (4-for-5, two RBIs), Alex Bregman (3-for-5, two RBIs), Evan Gattis (3-for-4, one RBI) and Teoscar Hernandez (3-for-4, three RBIs) led the Houston offense.
Springer, Gattis and Hernandez each homered as the Astros scored in seven of the nine innings.
Houston bounced back from a first inning in which Astros starter Collin McHugh allowed four homers and five runs. The offense didn't appear bothered, rebounding from the 5-1 deficit to score 14 more runs and pull away.
The Orioles got homers from Adam Jones, Manny Machado, Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo in that first inning. They have now hit back-to-back homers in two straight games, and it's the first time they've gone back-to-back-to-back (Machado, Davis and Trumbo) since Aug. 25, 2014, versus the Rays.
McHugh gave up seven runs on nine hits in three innings before Chris Devenski (2-4) came on and quieted the Orioles (67-54).
He gave up just one run on one hit in four innings. That run came on Pedro Alvarez's solo homer in the fifth.
Baltimore starter Wade Miley allowed six runs on six hits in just 1 2/3 innings. He gave up five runs in the second to give the Astros the lead after his team's big first inning.
Ubaldo Jimenez (5-10) and Tyler Wilson then allowed a combined seven runs in the next five innings as Houston took over.
The Orioles got just one hit after the third inning -- and only two base-runners.
Springer gave the Astros a quick lead, homering to right-center on the game's fifth pitch. That was the sixth lead-off homer the right fielder has hit this season.
But that lead did not last long thanks to the Baltimore power display in the bottom of the first.
Jones first tied it with his lead-off homer. Machado hit a two-run homer two batters later. Davis and Trumbo then hit solo shots for the early 5-1 lead.
According to STATS, the Orioles became the first team to homer four times before making an out.
However, that lead did not hold up as Houston rebounded with five two-outs runs in the second to knock out Miley and take a 6-5 lead.
Tyler White started the surge with an RBI double. Hernandez added an RBI single, and Bregman's run-scoring double made it 5-4. Altuve then ended Miley's night with a two-run double.
The Orioles took the lead back thanks to a Jonathan Schoop RBI single plus a run-scoring McHugh wild pitch in the third. Houston tied it on Bregman's RBI single an inning later before taking a 9-7 lead in the fifth on RBI singles from Hernandez and Springer.
Alvarez cut the lead back to one with his solo homer in the bottom of the inning.
NOTES: LHP Brian Duensing (surgery, left elbow inflammation, DL retroactive to June 20) will start rehab work in the Gulf Coast League on Monday. The Orioles moved him to the 60-day disabled list on July 3 after his operation. ...Orioles manager Buck Showalter said it's doubtful that OF Joey Rickard (right thumb ligament) will make it back by Sept. 1 but they're hoping he returns sometime in September. "We miss him. He brought a lot of things to us that we've been trying to replace," Showalter said. ...Houston recalled RHP Brad Peacock from Triple-A Fresno and optioned RHP James Hoyt back to that team. Hoyt gave up four runs in two-thirds of an inning in Thursday's loss. Manager A.J. Hinch said he'll likely be back with the Astros soon, but they want him to work on getting everything back together for a while. ...The Astros also asked for unconditional release waivers for OF Carlos Gomez (effective Aug. 18). He was designated for assignment on Aug. 10.