ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Joc Pederson hit a three-run homer to cap an eight-run first inning in Texas' 10-7 win over the Astros on Tuesday night, a day after three Houston pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter against the Rangers.
The first Texas hit was a single by No. 3 hitter Brandon Nimmo, while Jake Burger had a two-run single and Evan Carter drove in two more with a bouncing triple past first baseman Christian Walker into the right-field corner.
Pederson, who struck out against Jason Alexander (1-1) to start the bottom of the first, drove a 1-2 fastball from the right-hander about a dozen rows into the seats in right field for his fourth homer.
Texas ended Houston's four-game winning streak and stopped a four-game skid.
Yordan Alvarez homered twice, including a three-run shot that went 449 feet, to give the slugger 18 this season, and Cam Smith had his fifth on a solo shot that cut Houston's deficit to 9-6 in the eighth.
Jacob Latz pitched 1 1/3 innings for his sixth save, getting Alvarez on a sharp grounder to end the game two batters after Jeremy Peña's solo homer.
Tatsuya Imai, Steven Okert and Alimber Santa, who was making his major league debut for the Astros, held Texas hitless in a 9-0 victory in the series opener on Monday night.
Texas’ eight-run first was the second-largest for a team that went hitless in its previous game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Chicago White Sox had a nine-run first against the Boston Americans in the second game of a doubleheader on Sept. 27, 1905, after getting no-hit by Bill Dinneen in the opener.
Jack Leiter (2-4) retired the final eight hitters he faced, starting with the leadoff man Peña and Isaac Paredes to end the fourth when the Astros had the bases loaded with one out trailing 9-4.
Alexander (1-1) managed to get through six innings because he retired his final 12 hitters after giving up Carter's solo homer leading off the third.
Houston RHP Mike Burrows (2-6, 5.75 ERA) is set to face RHP Jacob deGrom (3-4, 3.86) in the third game of the four-game set.
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