MIAMI (AP) — Short on sleep, the Houston Astros were listless and hitless until the fifth inning. Then their lumber stirred from its slumber.
Yuli Gurriel hit a grand slam and Jose Altuve homered and drove in three runs as Houston overcame a slow start to beat the Miami Marlins 7-2 Monday night.
The Astros arrived at their hotel at 5 a.m. after a doubleheader in New York against the Yankees, and Dan Straily shut them out for five innings.
“Sometimes it takes a little while to get untracked,” Houston manager A.J. Hinch said. “Credit to the pitcher when he does that against an offense like this.”
Straily left the game after a comebacker bruised his right arm, and the Astros’ bats soon came to life. Josh Reddick doubled in the sixth off Junichi Tazawa (1-1), and after a walk and a hit batter loaded the bases, Gurriel pulled a 94 mph fastball over the fence with two outs for a 4-1 lead.
The Astros’ second grand slam of the year was also their second in two games. Alex Bregman hit one in Sunday night’s win at Yankee Stadium.
It’s the first time Houston has ever had slams in consecutive games.
Altuve shook off a fastball to the hand in the first inning and homered into the Marlins Park home run sculpture in the ninth.
“It was a long day Sunday,” Altuve said. “But we got some rest and did what we’ve been doing — playing really good ball.”
Joe Musgrove (3-3) allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings for the Astros (27-12), who climbed 15 games above .500 for the first time since 2005. They have the best record in the majors and are off to the best start in franchise history.
Houston began the game leading the American League in hits and batting average but managed only one hit in five innings against Straily.
The right-hander left the game as a precaution after he was hit near his pitching elbow by a line drive off Evan Gattis’ bat to start the fifth. A bruise just below the elbow was visible almost immediately, but after consulting with a trainer and manager Don Mattingly, Straily finished the inning.
Straily said he expects to make his next start despite the bruise.
“The ball caught me right on a muscle on my foreman,” he said. “I’m very fortunate that it wasn’t at my face or hitting any bones in my arm. I got pretty lucky in that regard. Hopefully it’s just a sore muscle in my arm.”
Altuve was hit on the left hand by a 92 mph fastball from Straily but stayed in the game and contributed a two-run single in the seventh, then hit his sixth homer in the ninth.
“In the moment I felt it a little, but then it went away,” Altuve said. “I was able to swing the bat, so I feel good, especially because we won.”
The Astros’ George Springer went 0 for 5, ending his 13-game hitting streak.
Justin Bour homered and had three hits for the Marlins. They outhit the Astros 12-8 but went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and fell to 1-6 on their homestand.
DIAMONDBACKS 7, METS 3
PHOENIX (AP) — Yasmany Tomas, Jeff Mathis and Daniel Descalso homered in a six-run eighth inning and Arizona handed struggling New York its fifth straight loss.
Jake Lamb also went deep for the Diamondbacks, the latest team to take advantage of a beleaguered Mets bullpen.
Tomas snapped a 1-all tie with a three-run homer off Hansel Robles (4-1). Mathis’ two-run shot also came against Robles, hit hard for the second consecutive outing after a strong start to the season.
Jorge De La Rosa (2-0) pitched a scoreless eighth to get the win.
INDIANS 8, RAYS 7
CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians starter Carlos Carrasco left early with an injury, but five relievers kept the lead and helped Cleveland hold off Tampa Bay.
Carrasco was pulled because of tightness in his left pectoral muscle after giving up an RBI single to Brad Miller. The right-hander allowed five runs in 3 2/3 innings and left with Cleveland ahead 7-4.
Boone Logan (1-0) retired both batters he faced. Andrew Miller permitted his first run of the season in the eighth, and Cody Allen gave up a solo homer to Peter Bourjos in the ninth before earning his 10th save.
Lonnie Chisenhall hit a three-run homer in the first, when Cleveland scored five times off Chris Archer (3-2). Francisco Lindor added a solo shot in the eighth.
ANGELS 5, WHITE SOX 3
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout homered for the fourth consecutive game, helping Los Angeles top Chicago.
The Angels scored each of their runs via the long ball. Kole Calhoun hit a three-run homer to right in the fifth inning and Trout followed with a drive to left. Martin Maldonado homered in the seventh inning.
Angels right-hander Jesse Chavez (3-5) pitched seven-plus innings and Bud Norris got four outs for his eighth save.
Jose Abreu hit a two-run homer for Chicago, and Tyler Saladino had an RBI triple. Mike Pelfrey (0-4) allowed four runs and three hits in 4 2/3 innings.
GIANTS 8, DODGERS 4
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Eduardo Nunez was credited with a two-run infield single when Los Angeles pitcher Brandon McCarthy lost track of a baserunner and San Francisco beat the Dodgers for its season-high fourth straight win.
The hit by Nunez was the key play in a four-run fourth inning that broke the game open and helped Matt Cain (3-1) earn his second win of the season against the Dodgers.
San Francisco opened the inning with three straight hits off McCarthy (3-1), with an RBI double by Brandon Crawford putting the Giants up 2-1. That’s when things really got interesting.
With runners on second and third, Nunez hit a broken-bat grounder up the middle that shortstop Corey Seager fielded just beyond the infield dirt. Buster Posey easily scored from third, and Brandon Crawford scored from second after Seager hurried the ball to McCarthy on the mound and McCarthy didn’t realize Crawford was running.
BRAVES 10, BLUE JAYS 6
TORONTO (AP) — Freddie Freeman hit his 13th homer, Nick Markakis had three RBIs and Atlanta snapped Toronto’s five-game winning streak.
Matt Kemp had four hits and scored three times for the Braves, who have won three of four.
Freeman matched Washington’s Ryan Zimmerman and Milwaukee’s Eric Thames atop the NL home run leaderboard with a three-run shot off Leonel Campos in a four-run sixth.
Freeman has connected against all 10 teams Atlanta has faced this season.
Bartolo Colon (2-4) allowed three runs, two earned, in five innings to win for the first time since April 16.
Blue Jays right-hander Mike Bolsinger (0-2) gave up six runs in 4 2/3 innings. Toronto pitchers set a franchise record by hitting five batters.
MARINERS 6, ATHLETICS 5
SEATTLE (AP) — Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager each hit a two-run homer, and Yovani Gallardo pitched effectively into the seventh inning as Seattle made the most of four hits to hold off Oakland.
Oakland scored twice in the ninth, when closer Edwin Diaz walked four of the five batters he faced to force in a run. Tony Zych relieved, and the second run scored on Khris Davis’ groundout. After an intentional walk to Yonder Alonso loaded the bases again, Zych struck out Adam Rosales looking on a 3-2 pitch for his first major league save.
Cruz’s home run, his ninth, put Seattle up 4-0 in the second as the Mariners capitalized on five walks by Sean Manaea (1-3), activated earlier in the day off the disabled list.
Oakland pulled to 4-3 on a solo homer by Davis in the fourth and a two-run shot by Stephen Vogt in the fifth. Both came off Gallardo (2-3), who allowed three runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings.
PADRES 6, BREWERS 5, 10 INNINGS
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Hunter Renfroe hit a two-run homer with no outs in the 10th inning to give San Diego a win over Milwaukee.
Renfroe’s homer to left, his seventh, came off Oliver Drake (2-1) with Erick Aybar aboard on a leadoff single.
The Brewers took a 5-4 lead in the top of the inning on Eric Sogard’s homer with one out against Jose Torres (2-2).
The Brewers tied it at 4 in the eighth. Hernan Perez’s leadoff fly ball to shallow right off Brad Hand went for a triple when second baseman Cory Spangenberg and right fielder Renfroe both went for it and missed. Perez scored the tying run on Domingo Santana’s RBI single to right with one out.