Houston's lineup found its power stroke at Daikin Park, and Cleveland had no answer for it. The Astros scored in five different innings and pulled away with a three-run sixth to beat the Guardians 9-3, extending their winning streak to two games before 33,279 fans.
Jeremy Pena was the engine. He went 3-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI, both long balls landing in left field — one in the third inning, one in the seventh. Jose Altuve added a 2-for-4 night with a home run and a double, finishing with four RBI. Tatsuya Imai made it hold up on the mound, working six innings and allowing 3 runs on 6 hits with 11 strikeouts and no walks on 89 pitches. He picked up his fourth win against three losses, carrying a 6.15 ERA.
Cleveland briefly took control in the third. Brayan Rocchio doubled to right, scoring Travis Bazzana to tie the game at 1-1, and Rhys Hoskins followed with a two-run homer to left — 376 feet — that put the Guardians ahead 3-1. Pena answered with a solo shot to left later that inning to cut it to 3-2, but Houston still trailed entering the sixth. That's when Altuve changed everything. With Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes on base, Altuve drove a 349-foot homer to left that scored all three, giving Houston a 5-3 lead it would not relinquish. Pena added another solo shot in the seventh, Altuve doubled home Alvarez for a second run that inning, and Houston tacked on two more in the eighth — Jake Meyers scoring on a ground rule double by Meyers himself, then Meyers crossing the plate on a Pena single — to close out the 9-3 final.
Tanner Bibee absorbed the loss for Cleveland, falling to 2-8. He lasted 5.1 innings, allowing 4 runs — 3 earned — on 4 hits with 7 strikeouts and 2 walks on 95 pitches. His ERA stands at 4.03. Hoskins' two-run homer in the third was Cleveland's best moment; the Guardians managed no runs across the final six innings against Imai and the Houston bullpen.
Houston improved to 35-41 with the victory. Cleveland, despite the loss, holds a 40-35 record and sits second in its division.