Jose Altuve scored four times, Michael Brantley smacked three doubles and the Houston Astros slugged their way to a 9-5 victory over the host Oakland Athletics on Friday.

Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker drove in three runs apiece while Yuli Gurriel and Altuve each reached base five times for the Astros, who jumped out to a 5-0 lead but needed a three-run ninth inning to secure the victory. Bregman and Gurriel homered.

The Athletics initiated their comeback against Astros right-hander Cristian Javier, who breezed through the first three innings with a minimal number of pitches. However, when Mark Canha reached on a leadoff single in the fourth, Javier began to falter.

Ramon Laureano followed with an RBI triple and later scored when Mitch Moreland concluded an 11-pitch plate appearance with a sacrifice fly. Jed Lowrie's single chased Javier in favor of Bryan Abreu (1-0).

Chad Pinder delivered a pinch two-run homer off Astros left-hander Brooks Raley in the seventh, and Matt Olson doubled and scored in the eighth to pull the Athletics to within 6-5.

In the ninth, however, Tucker's single off Jake Diekman scored Altuve and Brantley to give the Astros breathing room.

Ryan Pressly, the fifth Houston reliever, worked a scoreless ninth. Abreu earned his first career win.

Oakland starter Jesus Luzardo (0-1) worked around a pair of two-out hits in the second by striking out his third batter of the inning, but he was ambushed in the third when Brantley followed a leadoff walk from Altuve with a double to leave runners at second and third.

Bregman then crushed the next pitch 396 feet out to left-center for a three-run home run and a 3-0 lead.

The Astros flexed extra-base power again in the fourth.

Gurriel pushed the lead to 4-0 with his leadoff homer, and Brantley added to that advantage with an RBI double. Of the eight hits Houston recorded off Luzardo, four went for extra bases.

Luzardo allowed five runs and struck out eight against one walk in five innings.

--Field Level Media