Astros take season series from Rangers, move back atop AL West

Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena homered as the Houston Astros completed a three-game sweep of the visiting Texas Rangers 5-2 on Wednesday and moved back into first place in the American League West.

The Astros (84-69) not only extended their lead over the third-place Rangers (79-74) to five games, but they also claimed the rubber match in the 13-game season series with Texas.

Houston moved a half-game ahead of Seattle (83-69) atop the division after the Mariners dropped a 7-5 decision to the host Kansas City Royals. The Mariners open a three-game set in Houston on Friday.

The Astros scored twice in the first inning against Rangers starter Jacob deGrom (12-8) and extended the margin when Altuve and Pena slugged home runs in the third and fifth innings, respectively.

Pena doubled leading off the bottom of the first, Carlos Correa hit an infield single, and Victor Caratini drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Yainer Diaz followed with a two-run single to left.

deGrom appeared to find his footing when he retired the Astros in order in the second, but after Correa singled to open the third, Altuve blasted his 26th homer, a 372-foot shot to left that snapped a 2-2 tie.

Pena led off the fifth with his 16th homer, an opposite-field shot to right.

deGrom allowed a season-high-tying five runs on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts in five innings.

Astros starter Cristian Javier (2-3) delivered six innings of two-run ball. He permitted five hits and a walk while striking out four.

In two prior starts this month, Javier allowed eight runs on 12 hits and four walks across 10 1/3 innings in consecutive losses. Aside from a bumpy top of the second on Wednesday, he resembled the form from his final start last month when he twirled six hitless innings against the Los Angeles Angels.

Javier worked around a one-out walk to Wyatt Langford in the first inning and recorded back-to-back strikeouts to bridge the opening two frames. However, the Rangers erased a 2-0 deficit in the second. Alejando Osuna singled, stole second and scored on Josh Jung’s double. One out later, Cody Freeman hit a run-scoring single.

Javier responded by retiring nine consecutive batters following a two-out single from Joc Pederson in the third. Rowdy Tellez ended that stretch with a two-out single in the sixth, but Javier capped his 88-pitch outing by inducing Adolis Garcia to roll a grounder to shortstop, where Pena executed a dazzling jump throw to first that Christian Walker scooped before tagging Garcia.

Bryan King got the last four outs for his second save of the season.