Zach Cole homered on the first pitch he saw in his major league debut and finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs to help the visiting Houston Astros post an 11-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday.

Christian Walker went 3-for-5 and drove in two runs for Houston (80-68), which pulled into a brief half-game lead over the Seattle Mariners atop the American League West. Seattle hosts the Los Angeles Angels later Friday night. Jose Altuve also homered for Houston.

After opener Jayden Murray threw three scoreless innings, AJ Blubaugh (3-1) pitched a scoreless fourth as four Astros combined to limit Atlanta (65-82) to five hits.

Ronald Acuna Jr. hit his 16th homer in the sixth to highlight a 2-for-4 night. Hurston Waldrep (4-1) allowed eight runs on eight hits across 4 2/3 innings while striki

See Full Page