Altuve, Caratini, Dubón homer, Astros have 20 hits in 11-4 win over Athletics

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Jose Altuve and Victor Caratini hit three-run home runs in a seven-run sixth inning and the Houston Astros had a season-high 20 hits in an 11-4 victory over the Athletics on Wednesday night.

Framber Valdez (8-4) limited the A’s to two runs and five hits in six innings to help the Astros win for the seventh time in eight games.

Altuve, Caratini. Jeremy Peña. Cam Smith and Jake Meyers had three hits apiece, and Yandy Diaz and Mauricio Dubón each added two.

Nick Kurtz hit a double and scored on a single by Austin Wynns to give the Athletics a 1-0 lead in the second. The 22-year-old rookie had a solo homer in the ninth.

Dubón hit a leadoff homer in the third inning and Peña’s RBI single off starter Luis Severino (2-7) in the fourth made it 2-1.

The Athletics had a four-game win streak snapped Tuesday with a 13-3 loss to Houston.

Tyler Ferguson replaced Severino to start the sixth and gave up a single to Meyers before Dubón grounded into a 4-6-3 double play but Peña followed with a single, Isaac Paredes followed with a walk and Altuve’s three-run shot sparked Houston’s seven-run sixth that made it 9-1.

The Athletics gave up three home runs and have yielded a major league-leading 113 this season, sixth most before the All-Star break in franchise history. The A’s are on pace to allow 247 homers this season and shatter the franchise record of 220 set by the 1964 Kansas City A’s.

Houston’s Colton Gordon (2-1, 4.70 ERA) was scheduled to pitch Thursday against Jacob Lopez (1-4, 4.80) to wrap up the four-game series.