HOUSTON (Interstat) — The Houston Astros erupted for 13 runs on 14 hits Saturday evening at Daikin Park, overpowering the Athletics 13-2 in a game that was never in doubt after a five-run second inning.

The Astros improved to 30-36, while the Athletics dropped to 30-34. Tatsuya Imai, who worked five innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts, earned his third win of the season against three losses. Kade Morris, tagged for seven runs in three innings, took the loss in his major league debut.

LaMonte Wade Jr. led the Houston attack, going 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and three RBIs. His solo homer in the second inning tied the game, and his two-run double in the fifth broke it open. Yordan Alvarez added a grand slam in the second inning, his 22nd of the season, and finished with four RBIs. Jose Altuve also homered, a solo shot in the third, and drove in a run.

The game’s most decisive sequence came in the bottom of the second, after the Athletics had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a sharp line-drive single by Carlos Cortes. The Athletics stranded Cortes on base in that inning, and Morris quickly let the lead slip away.

With one out in the second, Wade Jr. launched a fly ball to left-center field that cleared the fence, tying the game at 2. Taylor Trammell walked, then Jake Meyers struck out, but Christian Vázquez singled to put runners at the corners. Jeremy Peña walked to load the bases, and Alvarez crushed a 1-0 pitch over the right-field wall, clearing the bases and giving Houston a 6-2 lead. The Astros added a run in the third on Altuve’s homer to left.

The Athletics had their best chance to respond in the top of the third. Nick Kurtz walked, Brent Rooker singled, and Tyler Soderstrom singled to center to score Kurtz. Henry Bolte was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Zack Gelof walked to force in Rooker, cutting the deficit to 6-3. But Jeff McNeil struck out, and Darell Hernaiz grounded out to end the threat. Imai, who had allowed two runs to that point, then settled in, retiring nine of the next 10 batters he faced.

The Astros blew the game open in the fifth. Christian Walker singled, Isaac Paredes singled, and Altuve walked to load the bases with no outs. Wade Jr. laced a double to right field, plating both Walker and Paredes to make it 8-3. After Trammell grounded out, Jake Meyers singled to score Altuve for a 9-3 lead. Vázquez followed with a double that scored Wade Jr., making it 10-3. Peña then doubled to right-center, scoring Meyers and Vázquez for a 12-3 lead. By the time Alvarez struck out to end the inning, Houston had sent 10 batters to the plate and pushed the margin to 13-3.

The Athletics mounted no further threats. Over the final six innings, Houston relievers Alimber Santa, AJ Blubaugh and Collin Price combined to allow just two hits and no runs while striking out eight. Santa pitched two hitless innings with three strikeouts, Blubaugh matched him with two hitless innings and two strikeouts, and Price closed with a scoreless ninth.

For the Athletics, Elvis Alvarado was the lone bright spot on the mound, working two innings of one-hit relief with three strikeouts. Cortes also moved to the outfield after starting on the mound and pitched a scoreless inning.

The Athletics managed only six hits, with Cortes and Soderstrom each collecting two. Shea Langeliers added a single in the ninth, but the offense could not sustain any rally. The Athletics struck out 16 times as a team, while the Astros fanned 10 times.

Houston’s victory marked its second straight over the Athletics, following a 5-1 win Friday. The three-game series concludes Sunday afternoon.

Alvarez’s grand slam was the centerpiece of a five-run second that erased an early deficit and set the tone for the rout. He had gone 0-for-3 on Friday but rebounded with the decisive swing. Wade Jr., who had gone 0-for-4 against Pittsburgh on Thursday, delivered his first multihit game in a week.

The Astros’ lineup pounded out extra-base hits with regularity. Paredes had two hits including a double, and Altuve, Walker and Meyers each contributed singles. Vázquez doubled and singled. The 13 runs were the most for Houston since it scored 11 in a win over Pittsburgh on June 3.

The Athletics had won three of four entering Saturday’s game, including a 2-1 victory at Chicago on Tuesday. But Morris, making his first big league start, was unable to navigate through the Houston order. He walked three and allowed seven hits in three innings.

The game lasted 2 hours, 56 minutes in front of an announced crowd of 30,211.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Houston 5, Athletics 4. The Astros entered with a 55.40 percent win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system. The Athletics had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5, but the final total of 15 runs went under the over/under line of 9.