Altuve's homer lifts Astros to sweep Rangers, take AL West lead

HOUSTON (AP) — Jose Altuve hit a two-run home run and Jeremy Peña homered and doubled to help the Houston Astros complete a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 5-2 win Wednesday night.

The victory coupled with Seattle’s loss to Kansas City moves the Astros 1/2 game ahead of the Mariners for first place in the AL West.

The game was tied 2-2 when Carlos Correa singled to start the third. Altuve’s home run off Jacob deGrom (12-8) to the seats in left field put the Astros on top 4-2. Altuve has 37 homers and 100 RBIs in his career against the Rangers, which are his most against any team.

Peña connected off deGrom on his home run to the first row in right field to start Houston’s fifth and push the lead to 5-2.

Cristian Javier (2-3) allowed five hits and two runs in six strong innings for the win in his seventh start after missing more than a year recovering from Tommy John surgery. Bryan King pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save.

DeGrom yielded six hits and tied a season-high with five runs. He lasted just five innings after the Astros forced him to throw 35 pitches in the first.

Peña hit a leadoff double before a single by Correa. There were two outs in the inning when Yainer Diaz’s single scored them both to give Houston an early lead.

Alejandro Osuna singled with one out in the second and stole second base. The Rangers cut the lead to 2-1 on an RBI double by Josh Jung. Cody Freeman singled with two outs to send Jung home and tie it.

The Rangers went 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position as they lost their fourth straight game.

Altuve’s home run that put Houston up for good.

The win gives the Astros a 7-6 advantage in the season series against the Rangers. They’ve won the series, called the Silver Boot, every year since 2017.

Both teams are off Thursday before Texas hosts the opener of a three-game series against Miami on Friday night and the Mariners come to Houston to start a key division series that night.

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Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (3) misses the catch as Texas Rangers' Wyatt Langford, right, safely steals second base during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom throws against the Houston Astros during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier throws against the Texas Rangers during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Houston Astros' Carlos Correa, left, and Jeremy Pena, right, celebrate the solo home run by Pena against the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Houston Astros' Jose Altuve swings on his two run home run against the Texas Rangers during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Things to watch this weekend in the Atlantic Coast Conference:

No. 24 Louisville (0-0) vs. No. 9 Mississippi (0-0) in Nashville, Tennessee; Sunday, 7;30 p.m. ET (ABC)

Picked to finish third in the ACC, the Cardinals open with a marquee matchup against a top-10 Southeastern Conference opponent. They've won 28 games in coach Jeff Brohm's first three seasons while regularly appearing in the AP Top 25 poll, a run that included reaching the ACC title game in 2023.

This neutral-site contest will offer an early opportunity for the Cardinals to help their long-term hopes of making the 12-team College Football Playoff. Louisville has added Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz at quarterback to an offense featuring running back Isaac Brown, the ACC rookie of the year in 2024 who played nine games last year due to injury.

Ole Miss played in last year's CFP.

No. 19 SMU (0-0) at Florida State (1-0), Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The Mustangs are considered the top contender to preseason ACC favorite and seventh-ranked Miami. They start their season with a Labor Day trip to Tallahassee, where Mike Norvell’s Seminoles are picked to finish 11th in the league.

SMU opens the year with a Heisman Trophy campaign for quarterback Kevin Jennings, who helped the Mustangs reach the ACC title game in their 2024 debut season that included a trip to the first 12-team CFP.

Clemson (0-0) at No. 11 LSU (0-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

The battle of Tigers in Death Valley moves from last year's appearance in South Carolina ( LSU won 17-10 ) to Louisiana. While LSU is playing its first game under Lane Kiffin, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is facing pressure to get the Tigers back among the national elite. The Tigers won two national titles and eight ACC crowns between 2015-24, but slid to 7-6 last year for their worst record since 2010.

Clemson is picked fourth in the ACC and is unranked in the preseason for the first time since 2011.

— Miami QB Darian Mensah. Mensah led Duke to last year's ACC championship before jumping into the transfer portal to land with the seventh-ranked Hurricanes, who reached last year's CFP title game and are picked to win their first ACC crown. Mensah, who threw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns last year, makes his Hurricanes debut with Friday's cross-country trip to face Stanford (1-0).

— California QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Sagapolutele had a strong freshman season, throwing for 3,454 yards and 18 touchdowns, then committed in December to return under first-year coach Tosh Lupoi. The Golden Bears open with an instate tussle against UCLA of the Big Ten on Saturday night.

Virginia Tech hosts VMI on Saturday to open James Franklin's coaching tenure. The Hokies have won three games twice in the previous four seasons. ... Syracuse carries an eight-game losing streak into the season, which started after quarterback Steve Angeli was lost to a torn Achilles tendon. Angeli is due to return for Saturday's opener against New Hampshire. ... Duke opens at home against Tulane with a new starting quarterback for the fourth straight year. The Blue Devils have gone from Riley Leonard (2023) to Maalik Murphy (2024) and Mensah last year, and now turn to San Jose State graduate transfer Walker Eget. ... North Carolina, N.C. State and Virginia have open dates after playing in Week Zero.

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here.

FILE - San Jose State quarterback Walker Eget throws against Texas during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Sept. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)