By LARRY FLEISHER, AP

NEW YORK (AP) — Cody Bellinger hit a go-ahead double with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and the New York Yankees pulled away for a 9-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night.

Bellinger snapped a 3-all tie when he drove a 1-1 fastball from Bennett Sousa (1-3) off the top of the center-field fence to score Trent Grisham and Ben Rice. The clutch swing came after Luis García Jr. reached on an infield single when Sousa didn't cover first base in time on a grounder to the right side.

Spencer Jones added an RBI single in the seventh and Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a run-scoring double. Chisholm singled twice and finished with his third three-hit game this season.

Rice launched his 35th homer in the first inning and García tacked on a two-run shot in the eighth. García had three more hits after going 4 for 5 in Tuesday night's defeat.

Rice’s homer pulled him within one of Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez for the American League lead and marked the first time in 24 games the Yankees scored in an opening inning.

New York (75-57) won for the 11th time in 17 games and remained 3 1/2 games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East and 2 1/2 ahead of Boston for the league's top wild card.

Yankees rookie Elmer Rodríguez allowed three runs and three hits over six-plus innings in his first major league start since June 21.

The right-hander was lifted after walking Jose Altuve, and the Astros tied it against Paul Blackburn when Christian Walker’s grounder caromed off George Lombard Jr.’s glove for the rookie shortstop's sixth error in 19 career games.

Blackburn (6-2) struck out Jeremy Peña with the bases loaded to keep it tied. Michael Fulmer struck out Alvarez to start a 1-2-3 eighth in his Yankees debut.

Altuve had an RBI double and Daulton Varsho homered off Rodríguez as the Astros (66-67) lost for the 10th time in 16 games. Alvarez singled in the sixth and ended the night with a major league-best .322 batting average.

Houston starter Peter Lambert allowed three runs — two earned — and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.

New York RHP Gerrit Cole (7-6, 3.11 ERA) opposes RHP Hayden Wesneski (3-1, 4.23) in Thursday’s series finale.

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