ALTUVE RUNS WILD AS 'STROS POUND BENGALS

Singleton Homers Twice, Drives in 6

HOUSTON, June 29 (AP) - Jose Altuve became the second player to reach base safely in six consecutive plate appearances in a single game this season, leading the Houston Astros past the Detroit Tigers 12-3 at Minute Maid Park.  Altuve had five hits, becoming the 10th major leaguer this year to do so, just a day after Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves became the ninth, and also drew a walk.  One of those five hits was Altuve's second home run of the year.  Jon Singleton belted a pair of home runs for Houston and drove in six runs.  Every member of the Astros starting lineup had at least one hit and the club amassed a total of 18 safeties, matching the team season high set just a day before in a 15-10 bludgeoning of Detroit.

Altuve led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run off Tigers starter Drew Smyly, a foreshadowing of what was to come.  The Astros then exploded for six runs in the bottom of the second, all but putting an end to the contest.  Back-to-back singles off the bats of L.J. Hoes and Jonathan Villar put runners on first and second with no outs and Carlos Corporan drew a walk from Smyly, loading the bases.  Alex Presley popped to short for the first out but Altuve followed with a single to left, scoring Hoes and Villar to make it 3-0.  George Springer then singled to right, scoring Corporan and when right fielder Torii Hunter overran the ball, Altuve and Springer ended up at second and third.  Singleton followed with a drive into the seats beyond the bullpen in right-center field, giving Houston a 7-0 lead.  After two more singles, off the bats of Jesus Guzman and Matt Dominguez, Smyly finally departed and was replaced by Chad Smith, who avoided further trouble, but the damage was already done.

Springer's single in the third drove home Corporan, who led off the inning with a double, to put Houston on top 8-0.

Detroit got a two-run homer from J.D. Martinez in the fourth, which briefly cut the deficit to 8-2, but the Astros rallied for three more runs in the fifth, when Singleton cracked his second three-run homer of the game, scoring Altuve (who had singled) and Springer (who had walked).  Singleton became the second player in the big leagues to hit multiple three-run homers in the same game this season; John Mayberry of Philadelphia accomplished the feat on May 18 in a win over Cincinnati.

Corporan's home run in the eighth made it 12-2 and the Tigers got a consolation run in the ninth when Miguel Cabrera deposited a ball into the Crawford Boxes in left for a solo home run, capping the scoring.

Houston starter Scott Feldman tossed his first complete game, sparing a taxed Astros bullpen.

6/29/2014, Det14-Hou14, Minute Maid Park

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
2014 Tigers            0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  1     3  6  2     3  1
2014 Astros            1  6  1  0  3  0  0  1  x    12 18  0    12  2

Tigers               AB  R  H BI   AVG    Astros               AB  R  H BI   AVG
Jackson,A         cf  4  0  1  0  .272    Altuve            2b  5  3  5  3  .403
Hunter,Tor        rf  4  0  0  0  .246    Springer          rf  4  2  3  1  .231
Cabrera,Mi        1b  4  1  1  1  .299    Singleton         1b  6  2  2  6  .195
Martinez,V        dh  4  1  2  0  .348    Guzman            dh  4  0  1  0  .183
Martinez,J        lf  4  1  1  2  .358    Dominguez,M       3b  4  0  1  0  .239
Castellanos       3b  3  0  0  0  .209    Hoes              lf  5  1  2  0  .172
 Kinsler          ph  1  0  0  0  .294     Gonzalez,Ma      lf  0  0  0  0  .264
Avila             c   2  0  0  0  .207    Villar            ss  5  1  1  0  .192
Suarez            ss  3  0  1  0  .226    Corporan          c   4  3  2  1  .259
Romine,An         2b  2  0  0  0  .257    Presley           cf  5  0  1  0  .230
                     31  3  6  3                               42 12 18 11

Tigers                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Smyly            L 5-7           1.1  9  7  7  1  1  56  34  5.97
Smith,Ch                         2.2  2  1  1  2  2  47  27  3.72
McCoy                            1.1  4  3  3  2  2  40  23 11.57
Chamberlain                      1.2  1  0  0  0  1  17  12  2.38
Coke                             1.0  2  1  1  1  1  15   8  6.35
                                 8.0 18 12 12  6  7 175 104 

Astros                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Feldman          W 3-8           9.0  6  3  3  2 10 109  73  4.58
                                 9.0  6  3  3  2 10 109  73 

Det: Kinsler batted for Castellanos in the 9th
Hou: Gonzalez,Ma inserted at lf in the 8th

E-Hunter,Tor, Romine,An. 2B-Corporan(2). HR-Cabrera,Mi(17), Martinez,J(9), 
Altuve(2), Singleton 2(5), Corporan(4). RBI-Cabrera,Mi(56), Martinez,J 2(24), 
Altuve 3(29), Springer(37), Singleton 6(16), Corporan(6). SB-Springer(5). 
K-Cabrera,Mi 2, Martinez,J 3, Castellanos 3, Avila, Romine,An, Singleton 3, 
Hoes, Villar, Corporan, Presley. BB-Avila, Romine,An, Altuve, Springer 2, 
Guzman, Dominguez,M, Corporan. 
GWRBI: Altuve
Temperature: 84, Sky: clear, Wind: out to left at 4 MPH.
Attendance: 33,163
Game Time: 2:39