Astros score early, often to beat Diamondbacks
PHOENIX -- Houston catcher Jason Castro had two hits and three RBIs and right-hander Collin McHugh threw his first career complete game in the Astros' 8-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Monday afternoon.
Castro singled in a run in a four-run second inning and doubled in two runs in the third inning as the Astros scored all their runs and had 11 of their 13 hits in the first four innings to ruin Arizona left-hander Edwin Escobar's first major league start.
McHugh (5-4) gave up three runs on five hits, and he retired 21 of 22 batters after a two-out walk to Jake Lamb in the first inning before Brandon Drury's two-out single in the eighth.
McHugh struck out eight and walked one while recording his 31st victory since Aug. 1, 2014, tied with Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw for the second-most in the majors in that stretch. The Cubs' Jake Arrieta has 35. McHugh used only 107 pitches.
George Springer had three hits, drove in a run and scored twice and Carlos Correa had two hits and two RBIs for Houston (23-29), which has won three in a row and six of seven.
Jose Altuve had two hits, scored twice and drove in a run. His fourth-inning triple was the 2,000th triple in Astros history.
Tyler White added three hits.
Paul Goldschmidt hit his 10th homer with two outs in the first inning and Lamb had his eighth homer with one out in the ninth inning.
Jean Segura tripled in Drury in the eighth inning as the Diamondbacks (23-30) lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Escobar, recalled from Triple-A Reno to start Monday, gave up 10 hits and eight runs (seven earned) in 3 1-3 innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit two.
Houston took a 4-1 lead in the second inning. Jake Marisnick doubled with one out and scored on Castro's single to left. McHugh sacrificed Castro to second, and he scored on Springer's check-swing single down the right field line.
Altuve singled to right, and Springer scored when Michael Bourn committed an error on the play. Altuve, who took second on the error, scored on Correa's single for the final run.
White singled and Marisnick was hit by a pitch with two outs before Castro doubled off the left field wall to drive in both for a 6-1 lead.
Springer singled to open the fourth inning before Altuve tripled and Correa singled, making the score 8-1.
NOTES: Houston CF Carlos Gomez (rib cage) will be activated from the disabled list and play Tuesday, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. Gomez was hitting .182 with no homers and five RBIs in 34 games before being placed on the disabled list retroactive to May 16. He was 5-for-20 with a homer in five rehab games at Class AA Corpus Christi. ... Arizona LHP Edwin Escobar made two relief appearances for Boston in 2014 before making his first major league start Monday. Escobar pitched an inning for the World team in the 2014 Futures Game while in the San Francisco organization. ... The teams will play the second game of a four-game series in Arizona on Tuesday before finishing with two games in Houston on Wednesday and Thursday. ... LF Rickie Weeks is a DH option in Houston, Arizona manager Chip Hale said.