Jeremy Pena capped a five-run sixth inning with a three-run home run, and the Houston Astros remained unbeaten with Yusei Kikuchi on the mound by toppling the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks 11-5 on Saturday.
Pena chased Diamondbacks reliever Dylan Florio with a 390-foot blast the opposite way into the home bullpen in right-center field. Pena lifted the Astros (77-65) to a 10-4 lead with his 15th home run of the season and his first at home since May 17 while driving in Yainer Diaz and Alex Bregman.
It marked a dramatic in-game pivot for Pena, who recorded two of the three outs in the Astros’ four-run fourth against Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (2-2). Diaz and Bregman notched RBI singles that plated Chas McCormick and Jose Altuve, respectively, before Pena launched an 0-1 sinker from Florio for his fourth homer at home this season.
The Astros erased a 3-1 deficit by largely manufacturing their four runs in the fourth. Rodriguez issued one-out free passes to Victor Caratini and Ben Gamel sandwiched around a Jake Meyers hit-by-pitch. McCormick followed with a go-ahead, two-run single to left two batters before Yordan Alvarez lined a run-scoring single to right. Bregman worked a bases-loaded walk for a 5-3 lead.
Rodriguez allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks with one strikeout over four innings to absorb his second consecutive loss. Florio stopped the bleeding in the fourth by inducing a flyout from Pena but surrendered five runs on five hits while recording four outs.
Altuve clubbed his 19th homer with two outs in the seventh off Arizona reliever Slade Cecconi. Altuve and Alvarez finished 3-for-5 with an RBI while Altuve scored three runs.
Kikuchi (8-9) labored for six innings but improved to 4-0 following his acquisition from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline. He allowed a solo home run to Kevin Newman – his third — with two outs in the fourth and another to Eugenio Suarez leading off the sixth. Suarez pulled the Diamondbacks (79-64) to within 5-4 with his 25th home run, but Kikuchi held the line there.
Kikuchi allowed four runs on seven hits and recorded six strikeouts without a a walk over six innings.
Houston extended its home winning streak to six, while Arizona lost its third straight game.
