CLEVELAND (Interstat) — A dormant offense erupted for six runs in the eighth inning Tuesday night, propelling the Cleveland Guardians to an 8-5 comeback victory over the Houston Astros at Progressive Field.

The Guardians, held to just two runs on a solo homer by Angel Martínez and a first-inning RBI single by George Valera through seven frames, sent 11 men to the plate in the decisive eighth to turn a 5-2 deficit into an 8-5 lead. The rally handed the Astros their fourth loss in five games and dropped them to a season-worst seven games under .500 at 9-16. Cleveland improved to 14-11.

For seven innings, the game followed a methodical pace, defined by early Guardians leads, a middle-inning Astros surge, and a stalemate maintained by the bullpens. Martínez launched his third home run of the year to right-center off Houston starter Ryan Weiss in the second inning, giving Cleveland a 2-0 advantage after Valera’s run-scoring single in the first.

Houston, which pounded Cleveland 9-2 a day earlier, was stifled by Guardians starter Parker Messick through four innings. The left-hander allowed just three hits and struck out four. The Astros broke through in the fifth, however, chasing Messick and seizing the lead. Isaac Paredes singled and scored on Brice Matthews’ RBI single. After a hit-by-pitch and a walk loaded the bases, Yordan Alvarez delivered a two-run single to left, plating Yainer Diaz and Dustin Harris. A successful challenge by Cleveland on the subsequent play at second base limited the damage, but Houston led 3-2.

The Astros added a run in the seventh on a Carlos Correa RBI single, and another in the ninth on Alvarez’s run-scoring double, his third RBI of the night. Yet, those runs merely bookended the game’s defining sequence.

The turning point came in the bottom of the eighth against Houston reliever Enyel De Los Santos, who took the loss and fell to 0-1. Daniel Schneemann worked a leadoff walk and Martínez followed with an infield single. After Bo Naylor popped out, Brayan Rocchio lined an RBI single to center, scoring Schneemann to cut the deficit to 5-3. Steven Kwan then walked to load the bases for Chase DeLauter.

DeLauter, who entered the at-bat hitless in three trips, drove a 1-1 offering from De Los Santos into the left-field gap. The ball rolled to the wall, clearing the bases as DeLauter slid into third with a triple, giving Cleveland a sudden 6-5 lead. The Astros intentionally walked José Ramírez, but Kyle Manzardo followed by lining a two-run single to right off reliever Colton Gordon, scoring DeLauter and Ramírez to provide critical insurance.

The six-run outburst stood in stark contrast to the Guardians’ earlier struggles with runners on base, including grounding into two double plays. Houston pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts but issued 10 walks, with three of those free passes coming in the fateful eighth.

Peyton Pallette earned the win for Cleveland, pitching a scoreless eighth inning to improve to 1-1. Shawn Armstrong and Kai-Wei Teng of Houston provided standout relief efforts earlier, with Teng tossing 2 2/3 perfect innings with two strikeouts to keep the Astros in front before the late collapse.

The game, played in 2 hours and 52 minutes before a crowd of 15,448, defied the pregame projection from Interstat, which had forecast a 4-2 Guardians victory. The combined 13 runs sailed over the projected total of 8.

The Astros, who out-hit Cleveland 10-11, continue to search for consistency after a promising series win over Boston to open the season. They will look to salvage a series split in the finale Wednesday afternoon. The Guardians, winners of two straight, will aim for a series win before embarking on a road trip to Toronto.