CHICAGO — Alex Bregman hit two homers and two doubles, driving in a career-high six runs and powering the Houston Astros past the Chicago White Sox 21-5 Thursday.

Houston’s run total tied for the second most in team history — the Astros scored 23 against Baltimore in 2019.

The Astros wound up with 25 hits as Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Christian Vazquez tied career highs with four each. McCormick, who had five RBIs, and Trey Mancini homered the AL West leaders.

White Sox second baseman Josh Harrison pitched the ninth inning and allowed four runs and six hits in his third mound appearance of the season.

Bregman, who had an eight-game hitting streak snapped Wednesday, scored four times. He hit a pair of two-run drives for the fifth multi-homer game of his career and his first since May 28, 2019, against the Cubs.

Bregman’s big day actually didn’t start out so well. He was called out on strikes to end the first and had words with plate umpire Ramon DeJesus, who then ejected Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron.

By the end of the afternoon, Bregman was in a much better mood and signed autographs for fans after the final out.

The Astros won for the sixth time in their last eight games. They improved to 34-19 against teams with a .500 record or better.

Gavin Sheets got a career-high four hits for the White Sox, who lost for the second day in a row and split the four-game series.

After totaling eight runs in the first three games of the series, the Astros broke loose.

Houston scored six times in the fourth inning, chasing Lucas Giolito (9-7) in taking a 10-0 lead. Bregman homered off reliever Vince Velasquez to cap the burst and and homered again in the sixth.

Giolito lasted three-plus innings, matching his shortest start of the season against Cleveland on July 22, when he allowed six runs on nine hits.

Giolito has allowed 15 runs on 15 hits in two starts against the Astros this season.

Luis Garcia (10-8) blanked Chicago for the first four innings, but was pulled after needing 97 pitches to complete five innings. Yoan Moncada hit a three-run homer in the fifth.

The Astros were in position to score even more. White Sox center fielder AJ Pollock robbed Jose Altuve of extra bases with a catch near the top of the fence in the sixth.

Up next

Astros: Will start RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (1-0, 0.00) at Atlanta on Friday night in a 2021 World Series rematch. McCullers threw six shutout innings Saturday in a win over the Athletics in his season debut after rehabbing from a right flexor tendon strain.

White Sox: Will start RHP Lance Lynn (3-5, 5.62) Friday night at Cleveland. He allowed two runs in six innings Sunday in a win over the Tigers.