HOUSTON (Interstat) — The Houston Astros’ offense erupted early and often, and right-hander Hunter Brown delivered a dominant performance on the mound to lead the Astros to a 9-2 victory over the struggling Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night at Daikin Park.

A crowd of 26,930 watched as the Astros improved to 4-2, while the Red Sox fell to 1-4, having lost four straight since a season-opening win.

The most important part of the game was Brown’s command of the contest from the outset. After a narrow loss in his first start where he struck out nine but took a hard-luck defeat, Brown was in complete control against a scuffling Boston lineup. He set the tone by striking out the side in order in the third inning and allowed just one hit — a fifth-inning RBI double by Connor Wong — over six strong innings. Brown finished with eight strikeouts and one walk, effectively neutralizing Boston’s bats and providing stability that the Red Sox sorely lacked.

Houston’s offense provided immediate support. In the bottom of the first, Jeremy Peña led off with a single and scored on a ringing double by Yordan Alvarez off Boston starter Brayan Bello, giving the Astros a lead they would not relinquish.

The Astros broke the game open in the third. After two quick outs, Jose Altuve worked a walk and Carlos Correa followed with a ground-rule double. Christian Walker then lined a single to left field, plating both runners to extend the lead to 3-0.

Boston scratched a run back in the fifth when Wong’s double scored Marcelo Mayer, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Any momentum was immediately extinguished in the home half of the inning, however. Alvarez led off with a towering solo home run to right field, his third of the year. The Astros were not done, as Correa walked, Walker doubled, and Joey Loperfido singled to drive in two more, pushing the lead to 6-1 and chasing Bello from the game.

Bello, the losing pitcher, fell to 0-1 after surrendering six runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings.

The Houston onslaught continued against the Boston bullpen. In the sixth, reliever Ryan Watson allowed a single to Jake Meyers and two walks to load the bases for Correa, who delivered a two-run single to center, making it 8-1. Cam Smith added a solo homer in the seventh off Jovani Morán to cap the Astros’ scoring at nine runs on 11 hits.

Boston’s only other response came in the eighth when Ceddanne Rafaela hit a solo home run off Astros reliever Cody Bolton. Bolton, who entered after Brown’s departure, earned a three-inning save, his first of the season, despite allowing the Rafaela homer and three total hits while striking out five.

The victory defied the pregame projections from Interstat, which had simulated a narrow 4-3 Houston win and gave the Astros just a 50.10 percent probability of victory. The combined 11 runs also went under the posted over/under line of 7.5, though the Astros easily covered the -1.5 run spread.

For Houston, Alvarez finished 2 for 3 with a home run, a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Walker drove in two on a 2-for-4 night, while Correa also had two RBIs. Smith’s home run rounded out the key offensive contributions.

For Boston, which managed only four hits, Wong’s RBI double and Rafaela’s solo shot provided the scant offense. The Red Sox have now been outscored 19-3 in the first two games of this series in Houston.

The teams conclude their three-game set Wednesday before Boston returns home to face the San Diego Padres and Houston embarks on a road trip to Oakland.