HOUSTON — Matt Dominguez hit a three-run homer and Jason Castro added a solo shot to give the Houston Astros a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.
The Astros trailed by one in the fourth inning before Dominguez launched his fourth homer of the season in left field to give Houston a 6-4 lead.
Castro’s homer came in Houston’s two-run third inning before Kansas City took the lead on a three-run home run by Miguel Tejada in the fourth. It was his first homer since 2011.
Houston’s Dallas Keuchel (1-1) allowed nine hits and four runs while striking out six in 6 2-3 innings for the win. Closer Jose Veras struck out two in a perfect ninth for his seventh save.
Kansas City starter Jeremy Guthrie (5-2) allowed eight hits and a season-high six runs in five innings — his shortest start of the season. He had gone 18 games without a loss before allowing 19 hits and 11 runs in the past two games to lose two straight.
The Royals cut the lead to 6-5 when Eric Hosmer doubled and Jeff Francoeur sent him home with a double, which dropped just in front of a diving Jimmy Paredes in the eighth inning.
Francoeur, who entered the game in a 0 for 11 slump, had a season-high three hits for his first multi-hit game since April 30.
The Royals mustered a little more offense on Monday that they had in a weekend sweep by the Athletics when they managed just five runs in three games. But their losing streak stretched to four games after going 3 of 10 with runners in scoring position on Monday.
Royals catcher Salvador Perez was shaken up when he crashed hip-first into the railing near Houston’s dugout chasing a foul ball in the fifth inning. He finished the inning, but was replaced by George Kottaras for the sixth inning. The team said he left the game with discomfort in his right hip.
Kansas City’s three-run fourth inning ended a 36-inning streak where the Royals didn’t score more than one run in a frame. Perez singled to start the inning before a one-out single by Francoeur set the table for Tejada’s shot, which landed in the back of the Crawford Boxes in left field and gave Kansas City a 4-3 lead.
It was the first home run for the 38-year-old Tejada, who didn’t play in the majors last season, since July 16, 2011.
Carlos Pena walked and Paredes singled in the fourth before the homer by Dominguez put Houston up 6-4.
Marwin Gonzalez led off Houston’s third with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Gonzalez took third on an error by Elliot Johnson when he missed the catch on a pickoff try. A sacrifice fly by Jose Altuve gave Houston a 2-1 lead.
Castro’s fourth homer of the season pushed Houston’s advantage to 3-1.
Hosmer and Francoeur hit consecutive one-out singles in the second inning before Johnson’s RBI single with two outs put Kansas City up 1-0.
Carter walked with one out in the second and Pena followed with a double to the corner of right field. The Astros tied it at 1-all when Carter scored on a groundout by Paredes.
Hosmer, the first baseman, made a nifty catch to end the seventh inning. He jumped high into the air and extended his glove to snag a liner by Paredes. He fell backward to the ground and glanced at his glove as if to double check that he actually made the catch.