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Yordan Alvarez slugged his 40th home run while Jeremy Pena added his sixth leadoff blast of the season as the Houston Astros hit a season-high five homers en route to a 6-2 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals in the rubber match of a three-game series on Thursday.
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The Astros (77-76) maintained at least a share of first place in the American League West with the Texas Rangers, who were playing the Boston Red Sox. Houston will host the Atlanta Braves, leaders in the National League East, this weekend to cap their final homestand of 2026.
Alvarez finished 2-for-4, including his solo blast in the bottom of the fifth inning off Royals starter Seth Lugo (7-9). Alvarez is tied with the Rays’ Chandler Simpson for the AL lead in batting at .311 and trails Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero by one homer for the league lead. His 99 RBIs rank second in the AL behind the Orioles’ Pete Alonso’s 102.
Pena ignited the home run barrage with his 20th homer of the season and his 11th career leadoff home run, which ranks fifth in club history. Pena launched a first-pitch sinker from Lugo 394 feet to left field, knotting the score at 1-1 in the first. The Astros took the lead an inning later.
Daulton Varsho drilled a 1-0 sinker from Lugo 407 feet out to right-center with one out in the second, his 12th home run and giving the Astros a 2-1 lead. Lugo retired nine of the following 11 batters for the Royals, surrendering singles to Alvarez in the third and Yainer Diaz in the fourth, before the Astros struck for a pair of homers in the fifth.
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LaMonte Wade Jr. smacked his fourth home run with one out in the frame before Alvarez struck two batters later. Lugo allowed four runs on eight hits — including four solo homers — with one walk and five strikeouts over five innings.
Astros opener Miguel Ullola loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first. Carter Jensen walked and scored on Maikel Garcia’s double-play grounder as the Royals (67-86) took a 1-0 lead.
Houston rookie Ethan Pecko worked 5 2/3 innings as the bulk pitcher. The right-hander allowed one run on three hits and struck out four. Taylor Trammell hit his eighth homer for the Astros in the eighth. Left-hander Bryan King (3-5) recorded one strikeout while not allowing a hit, run or walk in 1 1/3 innings.
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–Field Level Media
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