HOUSTON (AP) _ It’s no secret that Houston’s lineup has power from top to bottom. The Astros continued to show off that power on Monday night.
George Springer, Carlos Correa and Robinson Chirinos each homered to lead the Houston Astros to a 6-4 win over the Kansas City Royals.
The Astros have hit 11 home runs in the last three games.
“You guys have seen this before, it’s not something new,” Chirinos said. “I feel like this lineup from one to nine can do damage. Even the guys on the bench.”
Springer opened the first with his 11th home run of the season, including three leadoff drives. He added an RBI double in the eighth.
Correa had three hits. He opened the second by extending his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games with a home run.
“It just feels healthy,” Correa said. “It just feels good to step to the plate, to be able to be quick, to be able to let it go and to be able to swing hard, to be able the things that I want to do that I work on in the cage.”
Chirinos’ two-run drive in the sixth put the Astros back in front at 5-4.
“This place is a little unforgiving,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “You make a mistake, try to go down and away with a fastball in the first inning to Springer and ended up being middle up. I think a slider to Correa. The one to Chirinos, you just take your hat off, there was a nice piece of hitting.”
Hunter Dozier hit a two-run homer in the Royals fourth. Adalberto Mondesi’s two-run homer in the fifth gave Kansas City a 4-3 lead.
“Again, we talk about the ballpark here, that’s why you’re never out of the game,” Yost said. “You can get a bloop single and then a fly ball is a home run. Mondesi’s was legit, Dozier’s he smoked it pretty good. That’s one of the advantages of playing in this park.”
Gerrit Cole (3-4) yielded four runs on seven hits with nine strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
“I was glad I got through the first,” Cole said. “I was clean, I was focused, so that was good. I thought the stuff was good and the command was good. Those two fastballs were just unfortunate.”
Hector Rondon got out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, thanks to a barehanded play by second baseman Jose Altuve on a soft chopper to get Kelvin Gutierrez at first and end the inning.
Altuve’s defensive gem was one of several the Astros made.
“Our defense I often say is underrated and underappreciated because we don’t talk about it enough, but we have the athletes, and we have the positioning to be really good,” Houston manager AJ Hinch said.
Roberto Osuna pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
Jakob Junis (3-3) allowed five runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Royals have lost four of five.
“The first two home runs, those were just bad pitches,” Junis said. “Missed my spot over the plate, but I thought I made pretty good pitches with bases loaded, limited the damage on that. Had a quick fourth and fifth and went out for the sixth feeling good. I felt stronger as the game went on.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSE
Altuve turned 29 years old and the fans serenaded him with “Happy Birthday” to start the ninth inning. Altuve showed his appreciation by applauding the fans.
ROSTER MOVES
Royals: Recalled RHP Glenn Sparkman from Triple-A Omaha and optioned RHP Ben Lively to Omaha.
Astros: Optioned OF Derek Fisher to Triple-A Round Rock. Fisher served as the 26th man during the Astros’ two-game series in Mexico over the weekend.
UP NEXT
Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (0-1, 3.27 ERA) starts Tuesday, looking to build off his last outing in which he allowed one run in six innings against the Rays.
Astros: RHP Collin McHugh (3-3, 4.97) makes his eighth start of the season, trying to rebound after yielding four runs in six innings Wednesday in a loss to the Twins.