MLB capsules: George Springer collects six hits as Astros rout Athletics

George Springer went 6 for 6 with a home run to match a Houston record as the Astros routed the Oakland Athletics 16-2 on Monday night in Oakland, California.

Last year’s World Series MVP doubled and scored in the first inning, hit a three-run homer in the second and then singled and scored in the fourth. Needing a triple for the cycle, he reached on infield singles in the fifth and seventh before adding a fourth single up the middle in the ninth.

Springer’s batting average jumped from .264 to .292. He became the second player in team history to go 6 for 6 and the first to do it in a nine-inning game. Hall of Famer Joe Morgan accomplished the feat in a 12-inning game against the Milwaukee Braves on July 8, 1965.

Marwin Gonzalez also went deep and matched his career high of five RBIs. Derek Fisher hit his third home run and Max Stassi doubled twice and scored two runs for the Astros.

Houston set season highs for runs and hits (20) in its most lopsided win this season. The Astros beat the A’s 11-0 on April 28.

Dallas Keuchel (2-5) yielded one run and five hits over eight innings. The Houston left-hander, who gave up three homers and six runs the last time he faced the A’s on April 27, struck out four and walked two.

Jonathan Lucroy had two hits and an RBI for Oakland.

The A’s played without outfielder Stephen Piscotty, whose mother died late Sunday night, less than a year after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Rangers 7, Tigers 6: In Arlington, Texas, Jurickson Profar hit a tiebreaking RBI triple, Nomar Mazara homered again and Texas beat Detroit after a strange game-deciding seventh inning.

Delino DeShields and Shin-Soo Choo both scored from first in the seventh. DeShields reached on a two-out error and then raced around the bases when Choo singled on a grounder that trickled off the outstretched glove of second baseman Dixon Machado into shallow right field. Profar followed with his big hit.

Mets 7, Reds 6: In Cincinnati, Adrian Gonzalez hit a pair of solo home runs and Jay Bruce hit a two-run homer in his former ballpark to help New York end a six-game skid.

Michael Conforto got it going with a leadoff homer against Homer Bailey (0-5), and Bruce had a two-run shot off his former teammate in the third for a 4-0 lead.

Left-hander P.J. Conlon lasted 3 2/3 innings in his major league debut, filling in with Jacob deGrom on the disabled list because of a hyperextended elbow. Conlon also had a single off Bailey, who gave up six runs in four innings. The Reds have lost all of Bailey’s eight starts.

Robert Gsellman (4-0) gave up only a solo homer in 2 2/3 innings for the win. Jeurys Familia retired the side in order in the ninth with two strikeouts for his 10th save in 13 chances.

Phillies 11, Giants 0: In Philadelphia, Odubel Herrera homered twice and drove in five runs, helping Zach Eflin and Philadelphia rout San Francisco.

Carlos Santana and Cesar Hernandez also connected for Philadelphia, which had dropped six of eight. Santana drove in four runs, and Hernandez had two RBIs. Eflin (1-0) struck out a career-high nine in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed four hits and walked three.

Herrera hit a three-run drive off Jeff Samardzija (1-2) in the first and a two-run shot off D.J. Snelten in the sixth.

Cubs 14, Marlins 2: In Chicago, Ian Happ homered from both sides of the plate, and Chicago stopped a five-game slide by routing Miami.

The Cubs collected 15 hits after scoring three or fewer runs in 10 of the previous 11 games. Kris Bryant and Javier Baez connected, and Happ finished with five RBIs.

Kyle Hendricks also provided a lift for Chicago by pitching eight innings of two-run ball. The Cubs dropped their previous two on game-ending hits in St. Louis, taxing their bullpen.

The only downer for the Cubs was an early exit for Baez, who departed in the sixth with right groin tightness.

Twins 6, Cardinals 0: In St. Louis, Fernando Romero didn’t allow a run for the second straight start to begin his major league career, throwing six sharp innings to lead visiting Minnesota over St. Louis.

The victory was a season-high fourth straight for the Twins, who have won 13 of their last 16 games against National League opponents dating to last year. St. Louis had its season-best five-game winning streak snapped.

Romero (2-0) permitted just three hits and struck out nine while throwing 97 pitches. The 23-year-old right-hander tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his debut last week, a win over Toronto.

Nationals 8, Padres 5: In San Diego, Matt Adams homered in consecutive innings, Trea Turner went deep in his first at-bat at Petco Park and Washington’s Stephen Strasburg beat his hometown team again.

Adams hit a towering two-run drive to right off Tyson Ross in the sixth and a three-run shot to right-center in the seventh off Matt Strahm.

Turner, San Diego’s first-round pick in the 2014 draft who never played for the Padres, drove a 1-1 pitch from Ross an estimated 396 feet into the home bullpen in center field with one out in the first inning.

Strasburg (4-3) improved to 7-2 in nine career starts against the Padres. He allowed three runs in seven innings.

Jose Pirela had three hits and drove in a run for San Diego. Ross (2-3) allowed five runs in six innings.