ATLANTA -- When the Astros signed José Abreu to a three-year contract in the offseason to replace Yuli Gurriel at first base, the plan was to plop him in the middle of their batting order, giving them one of the deepest lineups in baseball -- one capable of producing runs at a high rate.

So far, that hasn’t quite worked out as well as the Astros would have liked, with Abreu still seeking his first home run in a Houston uniform. The two hitters on either side of Abreu in the lineup -- Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker -- are doing their part in April, giving the Astros optimism for how dangerous that trio can be when Abreu gets going.

Alvarez and Tucker bashed two-run home runs in the sixth inning off Braves starter Kyle Wright, and left-hander Framber Valdez struck out nine batters in seven innings to lead the Astros to their season-high third consecutive win, 6-3, over the Braves on Saturday night at Truist Park.

“That’s why they’re there in those positions,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said of Alvarez and Tucker. “I split them up with Abreu, who’s not hitting the ball out of the ballpark, but he’s got some clutch hits for us. That’s going to come.”

Abreu’s ninth-inning single on Saturday gave the Astros an insurance run and was his 10th RBI of the season. Abreu hasn’t homered in the regular season since Sept. 13, 2022, a span of 38 consecutive games. He has one homer in his last 76 games, but averaged 27 home runs from 2014-22 while with the White Sox.

Still, without much run production from Abreu, the Astros are averaging 5.1 runs per game and have scored at least six runs in 12 of their 21 games. That’s even more impressive when you consider Jose Altuve has been out all season after fracturing his right thumb in the World Baseball Classic, and veteran outfielder Michael Brantley is still working his way back from shoulder surgery.

“Obviously, it’s still early on in the season and hopefully the whole team gets hot at the same time, not only us three,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez, who hit a two-run homer in the ninth to win Friday’s series opener, put the Astros ahead, 2-1, in the sixth with a 414-foot homer to right field -- his team-high sixth of the season. Alvarez has 25 RBIs in 19 games played for the Astros.

“Obviously, he’s having an excellent season,” Valdez said. “We all know the type of athlete he is, a great hitter, power hitter and contact hitter. He’s a guy that saves us a ton and contributes to the team a ton -- we know what he can do.”

Tucker hit a 410-foot homer to center field two batters later -- his fifth of the season. That put Houston ahead, 4-1. Tucker, who’s been a slow starter in his career, is slashing .288/.404/.534 with 17 RBIs and has more walks (15) than strikeouts (14).

“Incredible,” Alvarez said. “He’s a guy I’ve had the opportunity to play with since we were in the Minor Leagues and every single day he’s just growing more and more. Just seeing him grow as a hitter and out there in the field, he’s great at everything -- stealing bases and hitting.”

Valdez gave up some hard contact, but managed to limit the damage, with the Braves going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position against him. He gave up homers to Sean Murphy in the fourth and Ozzie Albies in the sixth, but managed to deliver his fourth consecutive quality start. Last year, he set a Major League record by throwing 25 consecutive quality starts.

“Framber had it together early and kept us right there,” Baker said. “Their pitcher [Wright] was tough in the game early, changing speed and stuff. Fortunately for us, we hit a couple of balls out of the ballpark.”