ARLINGTON, Texas (Interstat) — Peter Lambert pitched six strong innings and the Houston Astros defeated the Texas Rangers 9-3 on Saturday at Globe Life Park in front of 37,318.

Lambert allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out seven to improve to 8-5. Kumar Rocker took the loss for Texas, falling to 2-8.

Houston jumped ahead early. Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and LaMonte Wade Jr. added a grand slam in the third to make it 6-0. Alvarez finished 2 for 3 with a homer and two RBIs, while Wade went 1 for 4 with four RBIs.

The Astros tacked on a run in the fourth and a sacrifice fly in the ninth. Texas got on the board with a run in the fourth, and Ezequiel Duran hit a two-run homer in the ninth, his second of the game. Duran went 2 for 4 with two homers and three RBIs.

Houston outhit Texas 10-7. The game lasted 2 hours, 56 minutes. The Astros improved to 47-50, while the Rangers dropped to 48-47. The teams conclude their series Sunday.