The Astros extended their winning streak to 11 games and finished 10-0 on their trip by stringing together five consecutive hits leading off the eighth. Correa socked his 13th homer off Royals reliever Brandon Mauer (0-3) to knot the score at 4-all before Yuli Gurriel chased Mauer with a single.
Tim Hill replaced Mauer but didn't provide much relief for the Royals, surrendering a pinch-double to Tyler White before Gattis and Gonzalez delivered RBI singles for a two-run lead.
Correa (2-for-4, 3 RBIs) produced a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning that scored Alex Bregman.
The Astros hit into four double plays and appeared primed to be undone by those missed opportunities.
Brad Keller dipped in and out of danger, allowing three runs on nine hits and three walks over six innings for Kansas City. He induced three of the four double plays and kept the Astros at bay after surrendering two runs in the first inning on back-to-back RBI singles from Correa and Gurriel.
The Royals pulled even in the bottom half of the first. Astros right-hander Lance McCullers walked Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas and both scored, with Gordon coming home on a throwing error by Bregman. McCullers turned a sparkling defensive play to retire shortstop Alcides Escobar, but Moustakas scored on the play to pull the Royals even.
McCullers allowed a two-run homer to Hunter Dozier, his third, in the third inning but pitched effectively through six innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks with nine strikeouts. Left-hander Tony Sipp (2-0) notched the win with a scoreless seventh inning.
Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield departed in the second inning after fouling a pitch off his left knee. Adalberto Mondesi replaced Merrifield during the at-bat and struck out.
--Field Level Media
Houston | Kansas City | |
Lance McCullers Jr. | Player | Brad Keller |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
6.0 | IP | 6.0 |
9 | Strikeouts | 1 |
6 | Hits | 9 |
3.00 | ERA | 4.50 |
Houston | Kansas City | |
Evan Gattis | Player | Salvador Perez |
3 | Hits | 2 |
1 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
3 | TB | 2 |
.750 | Avg | .500 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Houston | 15 | 1 | 20 | .405 | 19 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Kansas City | 6 | 1 | 11 | .188 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 |