Astros 9, Guardians 3: Altuve and Peña Homer, Imai Strikes Out 11

The lead

June 19, 2026 - Houston - Jose Altuve hit a three-run homer on the first pitch of the night, Jeremy Peña had two solo shots, and the Houston Astros beat the Cleveland Guardians 9-3, per the Associated Press recap on CBS Sports.

Houston finished third on the Friday team board at 25 FP in AthX Engine scoring.

How the game turned

Altuve's eighth homer landed in the Crawford Boxes in the first off reliever Matt Festa. Peña cut Cleveland's lead to one with a third-inning homer, then led off the seventh with his sixth of the season for his third multihomer game.

Altuve added an RBI double later in the seventh for a season-high four RBIs. Peña finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs.

Pitching and matchup notes

Tatsuya Imai (4-3) struck out a career-high 11 while allowing three runs on six hits over six innings without a walk. He retired the final 11 batters he faced after Rhys Hoskins' two-run homer in the third.

Tanner Bibee (2-8) was charged with four runs (three earned) in 5⅓ innings. It was the first time an Astros pitcher struck out at least 11 without a walk since Yusei Kikuchi in August 2024.

Bats that changed the board

Imai's 17 FP and Altuve's 14 FP paced the effort. AthX Engine graded Houston at 25 team FP.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

AthX Engine rewards power from the middle of the order paired with a high-strikeout start. Altuve and Peña's combined five homers and Imai's 11 K register on separate daily leaderboards from dynamic pricing.

What comes next

Spencer Arrighetti faced Joey Cantillo on Saturday at Daikin Park.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, CBS Sports/AP recap, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*