Dubón and Altuve go back-to-back twice, Astros hit 5 homers in 13-6 win over Rangers
ARLINGTON, Texas — When Mauricio Dubón saw he was batting ninth for the Houston Astros in the opener of their pivotal series against the Texas Rangers, he had a message for leadoff hitter Jose Altuve.
“I told him we were going to go back-to-back,” Dubón said.
Altuve gave him a high-five, and then they went out and did just that — twice.
Dubón and Altuve hit consecutive home runs in the sixth and ninth innings as the Astros beat the struggling Texas Rangers 13-6 on Monday.
Rookie catcher Yainer Diaz capped Houston’s big seventh with a three-run shot, and the Astros clinched the season series between Lone Star State rivals who are locked in a tight division race with Seattle.
After being swept over the weekend at home by the New York Yankees, the win got the Astros (78-61) within a percentage point of the Mariners (77-60) for first place in the AL West. Texas (76-61) is in third, but only a game behind even after its 13th loss in 17 games.
“Obviously, we needed a game like this,” said Altuve, who had four hits.
“That was a great win against a great ballclub. Obviously, both of us were fighting for playoff positioning and to make the playoffs,” said Alex Bregman, whose four hits included a two-run single in a three-run fifth after a replay challenge wiped out the back end of a double play. “It was a good way to start the series.”
The Astros went ahead to stay with a six-run seventh. They loaded the bases on a walk and two singles off reliever Josh Sborz (5-7) before José Abreu walked to force in the run that made it 6-5. All-Star shortstop Corey Seager, who homered twice for Texas, then misplayed a grounder for an error that allowed two more runs to score before Diaz hit his 21st homer.
“This guy’s been so good out there. I couldn’t tell you the last time he’s made an error,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “It happens. … But this guy has played unbelievable baseball. So that wasn’t the game.”
There were nine home runs in all, a single-game record at Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020.
Houston became the first team in major league history to have its No. 9 and leadoff batters hit back-to-back homers twice in the same game, according to OptaSTATS. Dubón batted ninth for only the third time this season, with Altuve at the top of the order as usual.
“Ended up doing it twice, so it was pretty crazy,” Dubón said.
Josh Smith homered in the Texas ninth off Ryne Stanek, who later in the inning injured his right foot while covering first base. Stanek remained on the ground after he fell back hard and his foot turned awkwardly. The right-hander was taken off the field on a motorized cart.
Astros manager Dusty Baker said Stanek was still being evaluated.
