ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Hunter Brown threw six shutout innings to outpitch Jacob deGrom while Christian Walker and Yordan Alvarez each had solo home runs and two RBI as the Houston Astros pulled away late to beat the Texas Rangers 11-0 on Saturday night.

The Astros (78-65) lead the AL West by 3 1/2 games over Seattle. The Rangers (73-70) are 1 1/2 games behind the Mariners, who hold the league’s final wild card.

Hunter (11-7) threw 107 pitches to match his major league high, allowing four hits — all singles — and three walks while striking out eight. His 2.25 ERA is second in the American League to the 2.10 of Detroit’s Tarik Skubal.

DeGrom (11-7) allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings, his ERA rising to 2.78 – fourth in the AL. Texas’ lone All-Star selection has won one of his last seven starts.

DeGrom beat Brown 1-0 in their previous meeting on May 15, each pitching eight innings.

Walker homered in the third inning after previously going 0 for 13 with seven strikeouts against the two-time Cy Young winner. Alvarez’s homer in the fifth was his third in 11 games after missing 100 games because of a fractured right hand.

Walker added an RBI double and Alvarez an RBI single as Houston scored three in the eighth and five in the ninth.

Key moment

Brown escaped a bases-loaded jam with one out in the second inning throwing 29 pitches. He struck out Ezequiel Duran and retired Josh Smith on a flyout.

Key stat

Texas went 0 for 9 batting with runners in scoring position after going 1 for 14 Friday, the one being Dustin Harris’ walk-off single in the 12th inning.

Up next

The Astros scratched RHP Luis Garcia to start Sunday’s series finale in favor of LHP Framber Valdez (12-8, 3.40 ERA). He’ll face Rangers LHP Patrick Corbin (7-9, 4.48).

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