Jose Altuve hit a tying solo homer and both Yordan Alvarez and Yuli Gurriel had RBI doubles in the Astros' four-run third inning to lead visiting Houston past the Boston Red Sox 8-3 on Wednesday night.

Alex Bregman launched a two-run homer, Myles Straw had a pair of RBIs and Michael Brantley drove in a run in the Astros' 17-hit attack. Houston starter Jake Odorizzi (1-3) earned his first win of 2021 after giving up three runs on three hits with a walk and six strikeouts over five innings.

The Astros won their third straight game and have beaten the Red Sox in five of six meetings this season.

Xander Bogaerts had a solo homer and two RBIs and Hunter Renfroe drove in a run for Boston. Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi (7-3) allowed a season-high 11 hits and five runs - all earned - while walking three and striking out five in 5 2/3 innings.

Boston has dropped two straight after winning five in a row and has split its last 10 games.

Bogaerts hit a sacrifice fly and Renfroe added an RBI single to put the Red Sox up 2-0 after the first inning. Straw cut the Astros' deficit in half with his RBI double in the second.

Altuve led off the third with his 10th homer of the season. Carlos Correa walked and advanced to second on Alex Bregman's groundout before Alvarez hit his go-ahead RBI double. Gurriel followed with a ground-rule double and scored on Brantley's single to make it 5-2.

Bogaerts' 11th homer of the year for Boston made it a two-run game again in the fourth.

Brantley narrowly beat right fielder Hunter Renfroe's throw to the plate after Straw hit a sacrifice fly to make it 6-3. Bregman's seventh long ball of the campaign in the eighth made it a five-run game.

Astros right-hander Zack Greinke (6-2, 3.38 ERA) starts opposite Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4, 5.59 ERA) in Thursday night's finale of a three-game series.

--Field Level Media