Astros Rally Past Royals Behind Peña’s Two Homers

Early Power from Peña

Jeremy Peña provided the offensive spark for the Houston Astros, hitting two home runs to help secure a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals. The win improved the Astros’ record to 76-75, while the Royals fell to 66-85.

Peña’s first blast came in the top of the first inning. He launched a 440-foot homer to left-center field, giving the visiting Royals an early 1-0 lead. The momentum shifted in the third inning when Peña struck again. This time, he hit a 370-foot home run to left field, extending Kansas City’s advantage to 2-0.

Astros Respond in Fifth

Houston began its comeback in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jensen doubled to left field, and Collins scored to make it 2-1. The rally continued immediately after, as Yordan Alvarez hit a 376-foot home run to right field. Alvarez’s homer drove in Peña, pushing the Astros ahead for good with a 3-2 lead.

The Royals attempted to answer in the bottom of the sixth inning. Pasquantino hit a 376-foot home run to right-center field, narrowing the deficit to 3-2. However, Houston’s bullpen held firm to preserve the one-run margin.

Pitching Performances

Hunter Brown earned the win for Houston, pitching five innings. He allowed two hits and one earned run while striking out ten batters against three walks. Bennett Sousa recorded the first save by pitching one inning, giving up one hit and one earned run with one strikeout.

AJ Blubaugh followed with a perfect inning of relief, retiring the side in order with one strikeout. Bryan Abreu also pitched a scoreless inning, striking out one batter without allowing a hit or walk.

Josh Hader closed the game for his 26th save. He pitched one inning, facing four batters and recording one strikeout. Hader allowed one hit but did not surrender any runs or walks, securing the final outs to complete the victory.

For Kansas City, Michael Wacha took the loss after pitching six innings. He allowed four hits and four earned runs while striking out two batters against one walk. Lucas Erceg pitched one scoreless inning with one strikeout. Jose Cuas also pitched one inning, allowing one walk but striking out two batters without giving up a hit.

Sources

ESPN