Altuve’s two homers, four hits, Hunter Brown’s shut-down start, power Astros to 11-1 beatdown of As

Thirteen hits and four homers add up to the Astros’ most impressive offensive performance of the year

The Astros clobbered the (fill in the blank) Athletics tonight, scoring enough runs to win three games, while Hunter Brown and the low-leverage bullpen held the opposition to only one run

The Astros got on the board first with four runs in the second inning on a two-out Yainer Diaz single, RBI doubles by Chas McCormick and Mauricio Dubon, and topped off by a two-run homer off the rim of the wall into the Crawford Boxes by Jeremy Pena.

In the third inning, Jose Altuve added another run with a solo shot 348 feet to left field. Daikin Park was the only stadium that would not hold that hit, and Pena’s was a homer in only two ballparks.

A two-run double by Cam Smith made the score 7-0.

And then in the fourth inning, Jose Altuve did this:

This two-run homer made the score 9-0, chasing A’s starter J.P. Sears, the most runs he has allowed in a game in his career. It was Altuve’s eighth homer and second two-homer game in the current homestand, during which he is hitting 12 for 21.

Meanwhile, as Astros bats were crushing baseballs, Hunter Brown was crushing the hopes of As’ hitters. He allowed a solo homer in the fourth inning but stranded the bases loaded in the sixth inning by inducing a double play to end the inning. His stat line was:

6 IP, 1 R, 6 hits, 0 walks, 8 Ks.

In the Astros’ sixth, they added two more runs on a Christian Walker homer, scoring Altuve, who just had his fourth hit of the game. I don’t know which is more interesting, this homer….

Or this single by Altuve:

(Unfortunately, there’s no video available, but Altuve’s fourth hit was an outside slider scooped off the ground over the third baseman’s head. Crazy. Vintage Altuve. He’s hitting everything right now.)

Oh wait. Check out this video of Altuve’s four-hit game until the end.

It was Altuve’s fortieth four-hit game in his career.

Steven Okert mowed down the As in the seventh inning, and, a once Great Hope getting his last chance to succeed in the majors, Forrest Whitley, held the As the rest of the game, allowing only one hit.

The Astros bats are waking up. Among starters, only the Astros’ best hitter, Isaac Paredes, failed to get on base. And this was the first time the Astros have been four games above .500.

Tomorrow it’s Lance McCullers and then a day off. Expect the bullpen to get a workout and hope that the bats stay hot against an old Astros nemesis, Luis Severino.

Box Score HERE.