Astros get five double plays, take series at Toronto Blue Jays

The Astros took three out of four games against the Toronto Blue Jays on the road this week and sit just a game and half out of the AL West top spot.

They leaned on five double plays to beat Toronto 5-3 on Thursday , four of which were behind starter Framber Valdez, who gave up three runs in the first inning.

Valdez dealt with traffic constantly -- 11 baserunners in six innings. But after the first frame, he settled in with the Astros' lineup and defense supporting him.

Mauricio Dubón singled on a line drive to center field to score Jeremy Peña and break the tie in the fifth inning. Peña then homered in the seventh inning for an insurance run. It was Peña's second home run of the series and four of his seven home runs this season have come against the Blue Jays.

But the story for the Astros on Thursday was their defense, especially third baseman Alex Bregman, who helped bail out Valdez with so much traffic on the bases.

Tayler Scott, Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader pitched the final three innings for Houston. The Astros (45-42) travel for a three-game weekend series against the Minnesota Twins starting Friday, which will be a bullpen game for Houston.