Astros tie club record with home run barrage

HOUSTON -- For all the buzz about how vaunted the Astros’ pitching rotation is following the trade to land Zack Greinke from the D-backs, it was Houston’s offense that served a thunderous reminder Friday of how dangerous it can be as well.

The Astros tied a franchise record by having six players slug homers with Yordan Alvarez, Jake Marisnick, Martín Maldonado, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Aledmys Díaz all going deep in a 10-2 win over the Mariners at Minute Maid Park. George Springer went 4-for-5 with a triple.

• Box score

“That was a pretty explosive night, obviously,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said. “We did a good job of really producing throughout the order. We talk about depth all the time, we talk about lineup all the time, we get to talk about our pitching a ton. Really good team offense tonight where we did a lot right.”

It was the first time the Astros hit six homers since May 31, 2017, and only the third time in franchise history six players homered in a game. It’s also the first time in Astros history that the final five hitters in the batting order homered in the same game.

Lefty starter Wade Miley (10-4) held the Mariners to two runs on three hits and a season-high five batters in six innings without a feel for his cutter, which is his best pitch. He went to his changeup a ton and threw some four-seam fastballs, too.

“Those guys kind of sitting on the changeup and I had eliminated the cutter, but I was able to battle through it,” Miley said.

Here’s a breakdown of the Astros’ 2,230 feet of long balls:

Player: Alvarez (No. 13)
Pitcher: Yusei Kikuchi
Inning: Second
Situation: No outs, none on base
Projected distance/exit velocity/launch angle: 427 feet/108.1 mph/24 degrees
Score: Astros 1, Mariners 0
What they said: “Alvarez’s ball was like a line drive that continued to carry to an area that lefties don’t generally hit. That was impressive.” -- Hinch

Player: Marisnick (No. 9)
Pitcher: Kikuchi
Inning: Second
Situation: Two outs, runner at first
Projected distance/exit velocity/launch angle: 389/103.8/40
Score: Astros 3, Mariners 0
What they said: “I knew I got it. I just didn’t know if it was going to be fair or foul. It was kind of hooking there, and I watched to see if it was going to be fair or foul. It ended up sneaking in there.” -- Marisnick

Player: Maldonado (No. 7)
Pitcher: Kikuchi
Inning: Fourth
Situation: One out, none on base
Projected distance/exit velocity/launch angle: 354/98.3/35
Score: Astros 4, Mariners 0
What they said: “I want my main focus here to be on my defense. I know we’re going to score runs. It’s really good to contribute, but the main thing is to win games.” -- Maldonado

Player: Altuve (No. 17)
Pitcher: Kikuchi
Inning: Fourth
Situation: Two outs, runner at third
Projected distance/exit velocity/launch angle: 346/101.8/23
Score: Astros 6, Mariners 0
What they said: “The way Springer started the game, then Yordan with the homer and Correa and Jake and everybody. That makes you go up there and kind of like wake you up and encourage you to try to help the team. It was a good pitch, and I put a good swing on the ball. I hit it out, but it’s just the way everybody goes out there and plays the game that makes me want to go out there and try to help this team.” -- Altuve

Player: Correa (No. 14)
Pitcher: Reggie McClain
Inning: Fifth
Situation: One out, runner at first
Projected distance/exit velocity/launch angle: 368/101.7/27
Score: Astros 8, Mariners 0
What they said: “We don’t go up there really trying to homer. We put up good swings, put up good at-bats. We passed the baton if guys are going to pitch around guys. It’s a fun night when stuff like this happens.” -- Hinch

Player: Diaz (No. 7)
Pitcher: McClain
Inning: Fifth
Situation: One out, none on base (back to back with Correa)
Projected distance/exit velocity/launch angle: 346/94.5/38
Score: Astros 9, Mariners 0
What they said: “I think one through nine is putting a lot of pressure on pitchers. You see it tonight with the power and the homers, but we can do it with walks, we can do it with base hits. One through nine, the relentlessness is key.” -- Marisnick