DETROIT -- It was punch and counterpunch until Tyler Collins delivered a knockout blow.

Jose Altuve delivered a two-run homer for Houston with two out in the first inning Friday night but Detroit squared the score with two in the bottom of the first and the Tigers blew the game open with a seven-run second inning en route to a 14-6 trouncing of the Astros.

"Once we scored two, it's a fresh game," manager Brad Ausmus said after his team extended its winning streak to four in a game that featured three-run homers by Collins and Justin Upton plus a solo pinch-hit shot by James McCann.

"Looking at it from the opponent's point of view," Ausmus said, "the last thing you want to do -- and we've done it -- is when you score runs, you don't want to give up runs the next half-inning.

"But when you're in our situation, down a couple runs, best thing you can do is score a couple runs, get back in it, tie it, or even score more, take the lead. But it basically reset the game."

"Obviously it's a tough entry to the game," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "We kicked off the game with a nice two-run inning and they answered back. It just seemed like every ball that he left out over the plate they did some damage with.

"They did a good job situational hitting. They put up a big number in the second inning and we couldn't recover."

Miguel Cabrera hit a sacrifice fly in the first and Nick Castellanos added an RBI single off Collin McHugh (7-7) to tie the score.

Cameron Maybin had a two-run double to right in the second, Cabrera drove him home with a single to center and Castellanos had an RBI single on an infield hit. Upton chased McHugh with a ground single to left and Collins greeted reliever Chris Devenski with a three-run home run, his third.

"It was a big home run, it kind of opened it up," Ausmus said. "It was 5-2 at the time; it kind of opened up the game a little bit. He had another good at-bat later with the triple but that three-run homer certainly gave the game a little breathing room."

Matt Boyd (2-2) allowed four hits in five innings but two were homers that accounted for three Astros' runs.

McHugh lasted only 1 2/3 innings and was roughed up for 10 hits and the Tigers' first eight runs, although all three Detroit homers came off relievers.

"They had a lot of pitches to hit," Hinch said. "A couple well-timed hits, a couple hits that found holes, they did about everything right against Collin. He never really could get to his breaking ball, which is something he throws a lot of.

"They did a good job jumping on him early with his fastball away and his cutter away. They used the middle of the field very well; they hit ball on the barrel a couple times. It just wasn't his night. We battled all the way to the end; we put a three-spot up in the eighth. Jake (Marisnick) beat out a ball in the ninth. We'll compete for 27 outs. We put ourselves in a hole collectively and didn't come out of it. I don't worry about our guys competing. We'll play the whole game."

Upton yanked a 2-2 pitch from reliever Michael Feliz down the left field line for a three-run homer in the sixth -- his 12th of the season -- as the Tigers plumped their lead to 13-3.

Collins tripled leading off the fifth and scored on Jarrod Saltalamacchia's sacrifice fly to the center field wall, upping Detroit's lead to 10-3.

McCann batted for designated hitter Victor Martinez in the eighth and belted his seventh home run of the season into the left field seats off reliever Tony Sipp. It was McCann's first career pinch-hit home run.

The injury bitten Astros had to take first baseman Marwin Gonzalez out in the seventh with right hand soreness. He's day-to-day.

NOTES: Houston placed 3B Luis Valbuena (right hamstring) on the 15-day disabled list and recalled INF Tyler White from Triple-A Fresno. White and rookie Alex Bregman will share third for the next two weeks. ... Detroit will return LHP Daniel Norris (right oblique) to its rotation next week but hasn't announced a date. The Tigers also announced the signing of former Texas LHP Cesar Ramos to a Triple-A contract. ... Astros CF Carlos Gomez (right hamstring) will miss at least the first two games of the series against the Tigers. ... CF Cameron Maybin returned to Detroit's lineup after missing all three games in Boston with a rib injury.