HOUSTON -- The Astros had already navigated the ballyhoo surrounding the debut of rookie right-hander Lance McCullers, but Wednesday night felt altogether different. It was his coming-out party.

McCullers delivered the strongest start of his brief yet promising career, twirling a dominating complete-game effort in the Houston Astros' 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Minute Maid Park.

McCullers (2-0), who increased his strikeout total in each of his three prior starts, pitched with an efficiency that had been lacking since he made his major league debut May 18 against the Oakland Athletics. He allowed just four hits, recorded 11 strikeouts, and did not issue a walk. His repertoire -- a mid-90s fastball, slider and changeup -- was stifling, and carried him during several extended runs of exceptional control.

"Just pounded the zone early," said McCullers, the 41st selection of the 2012 draft. "They started getting pretty aggressive early and (Astros catcher Jason) Castro and I talked and tried to use that to our advantage, and whatever pitch I threw try to throw it for a strike and let them kind of force the pace of the game."

McCullers worked six innings in his second career start, a win at Detroit on May 23, but needed 100 pitches to do so. He had thrown just 92 pitches by the close of the eighth inning against the Orioles (23-28).

Upon returning for the ninth, McCullers faced the top of the Baltimore order. He retired third baseman Manny Machado and left fielder David Lough with haste but surrendered a two-out, two-strike single to center fielder Adam Jones, who recorded two of the Orioles' four hits. That lured Astros manager A.J. Hinch out of the dugout for a mound meeting.

"I went out wanting to leave him in and asked him how much he had left in his tank and he said he had plenty left," Hinch said. "And I told him good because he's going to finish it. This (Orioles first baseman Chris Davis) was his hitter to get, his game to get. He earned it, and this was going to be a big step for him because I wanted to shake hands after that at-bat. He looked me dead in the eye and was good to go."

McCullers recovered to strike out Davis on his 107th pitch.

"I really wanted Jones there because I didn't want to give Skip that chance to come snag me," McCullers said. "But I was happy he left me out there."

The Astros (34-20) supported McCullers with a trio of solo home runs off Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez (5-4).

First baseman Chris Carter, who entered Wednesday riding a 10-game hitting streak, bashed a homer with two outs in the second inning, a 378-foot shot to left field. When Carter strolled to the plate for his second at-bat in the fifth, he victimized Gonzalez again, this time with a 441-foot blast to left-center for his 10th home run.

"Two really good fastballs to Carter," Gonzalez said. "I thought they were where I wanted but this team is playing really well right now. You can't make minimal mistakes."

The Orioles had pulled even against McCullers before Carter smacked his second homer, stringing together a one-out triple from Jones and a two-out RBI single from right fielder Delmon Young in the fourth.

Astros right fielder George Springer added a line-drive homer to left, his eighth of the season, with one out in the sixth for a 3-1 lead.

"The other guy was a little better," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of McCullers. "Just not much margin for error. We've said the same thing quite a few nights. I'm the first one to tip my hat to a good young pitcher. You can see why they're so excited about him."

NOTES: Astros LHP Dallas Keuchel was selected the American League Pitcher of the Month for a second consecutive month after finishing 4-1 with a 2.62 ERA in May. Keuchel struck out 38 batters in a league-leading 44 2/3 innings and allowed a .233 opponents av