Yainer Diaz hit a three-run homer in the first inning off Luis Severino, Yordan Alvarez homered to chase the right-hander in the fifth and the visiting Houston Astros beat the New York Yankees 7-3 Friday night.
Rookie Hunter Brown won consecutive starts for the first time since mid-April by allowing two runs and five hits in six innings. Brown struck out four, walked one and threw 61 of 93 pitches for strikes.
Kyle Tucker contributed a two-out, two-run double in the sixth and stole two bases. Alex Bregman produced the other run for the Astros when he was hit in the back by a fastball from Severino with the bases loaded in the second.
Including last year's sweep in the ALCS, the Astros are 10-3 against the Yankees since the start of last season.
Jake Bauers, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Giancarlo Stanton homered for the Yankees, who are 9-15 since July 4. Stanton went deep for the third straight game.
New York slugger Aaron Judge did not start for the second time since returning from a toe injury last week, but entered as a pinch hitter and struck out with two on in the seventh against Hector Neris.
Severino (2-6) allowed five runs and five hits in four-plus innings. He his ERA rose to 7.74 and lost for the fourth time in his last five decisions.
After allowing Alvarez's homer, Severino was booed off the mound. He sat down at the end of the dugout and a few teammates, and coaches walked over to talk to him.
Diaz matched the Houston rookie record for homers by a catcher when he hit his 14th homer. He tied the mark set by Mitch Meluskey in 2000.
Severino started the second by walking Chas McCormick and Jeremy Pena. After Jose Altuve singled, Severino plunked Bregman.
Bauers hit a drive that banked off the left field foul pole in the third, but Alvarez homered into the Houston bullpen in left-center for a 5-1 lead.
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