UNDATED (AP) — Jose Altuve gave himself quite a 31st birthday present.
The Houston Astros second baseman slammed a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning of a 7-4 win over the Yankees.
Chad Green inherited a 3-2 lead starting the eighth inning before putting the first two runners on base. Altuve’s blast helped the Astros avoid a three-game sweep.
Yordan Álvarez hit a pair of solo homers off Yankees starter Gerrit Cole, and Martin Madonado added a two-run blast in the ninth.
Yanks shortstop Gleyber Torres scored from first base on an infield single, but New York’s five-game winning streak ended.
Also in the majors on Thursday:
— Franchy Cordero came off the bench with three hits to snap an 0-for-25 slump and send the Red Sox past the Tigers, 12-9. Rafael Devers drove in three runs on a pair of singles, but his second error of the game allowed Detroit to tie the game, 9-9 in the seventh.
— Brett Phillips had two hits during a seven-run eighth that allowed the Rays to turn a 3-1 deficit into an 8-3 win over the Angels. Mike Zunino sparked the uprising with a homer and Phillips capped the rally with a two-run double as Tampa Bay completed a four-game sweep.
— Randal Grichuk homered, doubled and drove in five to lead the Blue Jays to a 10-4 rout of the Athletics. Toronto second baseman Marcus Semien was 4-for-6 with a solo homer and three runs scored against his former team.
— Triston McKenzie bounced back from a rugged start to pitch one-hit ball into the sixth inning of the Indians’ 4-0 shutout of the Royals. Franmil Reyes launched his eighth home run, and Cesar Hernandez and Rene Rivera each had three hits to help Cleveland complete a four-game sweep.
— The Rangers pulled out a 4-3 win over the Twins on Willie Calhoun’s RBI single in the 10th inning. Joey Gallo and Jonah Heim homered to help Texas earn its third straight win.
— Zack Wheeler struck out eight while tossing a three-hitter as the Phillies blanked the Brewers, 2-0 to complete a four-game sweep. The game was scoreless until Alec Bohm homered in the seventh, one inning before Rhys Hoskins doubled home a run for the NL East leaders.
— Ehire Adrianza made the most of a rare start on a day off for slumping NL MVP Freddie Freeman, providing a nice defensive play and a two-run single in the Braves’ 4-2 decision over the Nationals. Drew Smyly was reached for just four hits while pitching into the seventh as Atlanta completed its first sweep of Washington since 2014.
— Taijuan Walker struck out eight while holding the Cardinals to one hit over seven innings of the Mets’ 4-1 victory in St. Louis. The Mets walked three times with the bases loaded and earned a split of the four-game series despite stranding 17 runners on Thursday.
— Adam Duvall hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning and five pitchers combined on a five-hitter as the Marlins topped the Diamondbacks, 3-1 for their first three-game sweep of the season. Arizona was outscored, 20-4 in the series after entering Miami ranked second in the majors in runs.
