Astros starting to find consistency at plate

HOUSTON -- The Astros' offense has blossomed in the last week, and much of that can be attributed to the stability at the top of the order. Jose Altuve, George Springer, Dexter Fowler and Jason Castro have all been swinging the bats better lately, which has given the rest of the lineup a boost.

In Sunday's 8-2 win over the White Sox, Altuve extended his hitting streak to 10 games, during which he's hitting .391; Springer is hitting .298 in his past 12 games; Fowler is hitting .304 with a .437 on-base percentage in his last 28 games; and Castro is 4-for-12 in his last three games, though he was out of the lineup Sunday.

"It's coming together," manager Bo Porter said. "I like the balance and what we have going right now. It's good having George behind Altuve. He's going to see more fastballs, and Dexter is swinging the bat extremely well. And the guys we look to drive in runs are coming behind them."

As a team, the Astros are hitting .254 in 30 games since April 16 after scuffling with a .185 batting average through the first 14 games of the season. That included a .298 batting average in the team's last eight contests, with six 11-hit outputs.