Gerrit Cole posted his seventh double-digit strikeout start of the season, and the Houston Astros bashed five home runs in snapping their nine-game home losing skid with a 12-1 interleague victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park.

The Astros salvaged the finale of their six-game homestand with an offensive eruption, producing their highest scoring output at home since a 12-6 win over the Chicago White Sox on July 7.

Houston had dropped five consecutive games and saw its lead in the American League West entering the day cut to one game over the Oakland Athletics, who lost earlier on Wednesday to Seattle.

Houston wasted little time pouncing on Rockies left-hander Tyler Anderson (6-5), posting three runs apiece in the first and second innings.

Anderson loaded the bases with no outs in the first before surrendering a three-run double to Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, who entered 1-for-15 since being reinstated from the disabled list last Friday. Correa slapped the first pitch of his first plate appearance of the game just past the diving Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon for a 3-0 Astros lead.

After an Alex Bregman sacrifice fly made it 4-0 in the second, Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel made it 6-0 with his two-run homer off Anderson later in the inning, his seventh dinger (and first since July 7) plating Tony Kemp.

Evan Gattis and Tyler White added home runs against Anderson, with Gattis blasting a solo shot in the third for a 7-0 lead before White chased Anderson with the first of his two two-run blasts in the fifth. Anderson allowed a season-high nine runs on seven hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings.

Gattis and White completed their multi-homer games against Rockies left-hander Harrison Musgrave. Gattis took over the team lead from Bregman with his 23rd home run, a solo shot two batters after Musgrave entered in relief. White posted his seventh homer on the season and third career multi-homer game in the seventh, extending the Houston lead to 12-1.

Cole struck out the side in the first and sixth innings and faced the minimum in the second, third and fifth. Colorado strung together three successive two-out hits in the fourth, with shortstop Trevor Story capping that stretch with an RBI single that scored Carlos Gonzalez.

With his 12 strikeouts, Cole (11-5) recorded the Astros' 25th double-digit strikeout game of the season, a new franchise record that ranks tied for second all-time in American League history.

--Field Level Media