HOUSTON — Zack Greinke struck out five in six strong innings, Robinson Chirinos and Yordan Alvarez each homered twice as Houston hit a major league-record six home runs in the first two innings, and the high-scoring Astros routed the Oakland Athletics 15-0 Monday night for their fifth straight victory.
With Monday’s offensive outburst following a 21-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, the Astros set a franchise record for runs scored in consecutive games with 36.
Helped by six of their seven total homers, Houston raced to an 11-0 lead after two innings. The seven shots matched a franchise record for homers in a game set Sept. 9, 2000, against the Chicago Cubs.
The Astros scored 32 runs over nine team turns at-bat, a span that included the second through eighth innings on Sunday and the first and second innings on Monday. That’s the second-most runs over any span of nine team turns at bat in the modern era (since 1900), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Only the 2007 Texas Rangers (whose span included a record 30-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles) scored more over any such span, according to Elias.
Chirinos capped the first with a two-run homer and hit a three-run shot in the seventh. He added an RBI single in a five-run second inning.
Alex Bregman started the offensive display with a three-run homer, and Alvarez followed with a solo shot into the second deck in right field.
Alvarez hit his second solo shot into the third deck in right field in the second inning.
Jose Altuve hit a two-run homer to left to start the scoring in the second, and Michael Brantley followed with a solo blast to right that chased Mike Fiers (14-4). Brantley’s homer was his 21st, a career high.
The Astros extended their lead over Oakland to 10½ games in the American League West. They remain tied with the New York Yankees for the best record in the majors.
Greinke (15-5) retired 11 of the first 12 batters he faced. He allowed just two hits and didn’t walk a batter.
Houston’s offensive exploits spoiled Fiers’ try at a piece of A’s history. The right-hander had won 12 straight decisions and was bidding to match Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter’s run in 1973 for the best since the club moved to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Fiers allowed a career-high nine runs on nine hits in one-plus innings. He allowed a career-high five home runs.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: OF Ramon Laureano was out of the lineup a second straight day after leaving Saturday’s game with cramps in his right leg.
Astros: 1B Yuli Gurriel was out of the lineup for a third straight game with a sore left hamstring, but he took ground balls and ran prior to the game. … Correa fielded ground balls and took batting practice Monday.
A’S ROSTER MOVES
Oakland promoted LHP Jesus Luzardo and recalled RHP Daniel Mengden from Triple-A Las Vegas. To open up a spot on the 40-man roster for Luzardo, Oakland recalled OF Luis Barrera from Double-A Midland and placed him on the 60-day disabled list.
UP NEXT
Athletics: RHP Tanner Roark (9-8, 3.86 ERA) starts Tuesday looking to continue his solid work since being acquired at the trade deadline. Roark has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his six starts with the Athletics.
Astros: LHP Wade Miley (13-4, 3.35) starts Tuesday looking to rebound after yielding five runs without recording an out in his last start on Thursday against the Mariners.