Texas 0 at Houston 5 - Recap

HOUSTON -- Dallas Keuchel rebounded from a poor start with a three-hit shutout and the Houston Astros showed life offensively in their 5-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday night at Minute Maid Park.

Keuchel (7-11), shelled by the Tigers in Detroit on Sunday, surrendered two walks while stifling the Rangers (63-47). Keuchel added seven strikeouts to end a three-game skid to Texas in which he allowed four-plus earned runs in each appearance this season.

The Astros (57-52) tagged Rangers left-hander Martin Perez (7-8) for four runs in the third inning to snap from their offensive funk. Jose Altuve finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs to pace the attack.

Perez surrendered five runs on eight hits and three walks with four strikeouts over seven innings. He had allowed a total of 10 earned runs in seven previous appearances against the Astros.

Keuchel scuffled in the first inning, allowing a pair of hits and a walk. He induced a double-play ground ball off the bat of Ian Desmond to stall the momentum and capped the inning by getting Rougned Odor to ground out to first baseman Marwin Gonzalez.

Keuchel did not allow another hit until there were two outs in the ninth, when Adrian Beltre doubled to left-center field. Keuchel followed by getting Odor to ground to out to the right side of the infield. It marked his 10th career complete game and fourth shutout. His hits total was the lowest in a complete game in his career.

The Astros strung together four consecutive hits in the third.

Altuve began the deluge with an RBI double to left field that scored Jake Marisnick, who opened the frame with a single. Carlos Correa added an opposite-field, two-run single that scored Alex Bregman and Altuve. Bregman, who walked ahead of Altuve, scored his first career run.

Tyler White capped the onslaught with a run-scoring single to left, pushing home Correa and completing an inning that finally yielded something substantial. It marked the first time the Astros scored three or more runs in a frame since the eighth inning at Detroit on July 29.

NOTES: Astros pitchers set a major league record with 61 strikeouts against the Blue Jays, the most strikeouts by a pitching staff in a series of any length. The Phillies had 59 strikeouts against the Mets during a five-game series May 29-June 2, 2014. But those totals haven't saved an offense that has scored just seven runs in six games. "We're not playing miserably in every aspect of the game, it's just when you don't hit or produce as many runs offensively it feels tough," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. ... Rangers manager Jeff Banister gave C Jonathan Lucroy the day off in deference to the hectic schedule Lucroy has faced after his acquisition from the Brewers on Monday at the non-waiver trade deadline. Robinson Chirinos started behind the plate, with Lucroy scheduled to be back in the lineup Saturday. ... Banister plans to give Carlos Beltran his first start in right field on Saturday. Beltran, acquired from the Yankees on Monday, served as the designated hitter for a fourth consecutive game on Friday night. He played 58 games in right field for the Yankees before the trade.