By PAUL ATTFIELD
TORONTO (AP) _ Carlos Correa homered twice and drove in a career-high five runs as the Houston Astros romped into the All-Star break, battering the Toronto Blue Jays 19-1 Sunday.
The runaway leaders in the AL West became just the fifth team in the last 40 years to reach 60 wins before the All-Star Game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. They joined the 1998 Yankees, 2001 Mariners, 2003 Braves and this year’s Los Angeles Dodgers, who got there Saturday.
At 60-29, Houston heads into the break with a whopping lead in a division where no one else is over .500.
A day after his career-high 15-game hitting streak ended, Correa had four hits. The All-Star shortstop hit the 20-home run mark with his second of the day for his fifth career multi-homer game and second this season.
Fellow All-Star Jose Altuve, Yuli Gurriel and Evan Gattis also homered for Houston. Altuve had three hits for the fifth consecutive game _ he became the ninth major leaguer to do so in more than a century, and the first since George Brett’s record-tying six-game streak for Kansas City in 1976.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) _ J.C. Ramirez outpitched All-Star Yu Darvish and Albert Pujols hit his 604th career home run as four Los Angeles Angels pitchers combined to beat the Texas Rangers 3-0 on Sunday.
Ramirez (8-7) allowed two hits in six innings. Angels relievers allowed only one walk with Bud Norris earning his 13th save with a perfect ninth inning.
Ramirez made his 16th straight start since mid-April after his previous 108 career appearances in the major leagues were in relief. The 28-year-old was moved into the starting rotation after Los Angeles lost multiple starters to injury.
Darvish (6-8) gave up two runs while pitching 7 1/3 innings. He allowed three hits, fanning six and walking four in a start that cost him a potential appearance in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game. Darvish last week complied with a club request not to pitch in Miami two days after starting.
Pujols hit a two-out home run into the Angels’ bullpen in left-center in the first inning. He took a .206 career batting average vs. Darvish in 34 at-bats into the game. Three of his eight career hits off the four-time All-Star have been homers.