HOUSTON — Framber Valdez tied a season high with 10 strikeouts in 6 1/3 scoreless innings and Alex Bregman and Jon Singleton launched home runs to lead the Astros to a 5-0 win over the Dodgers on Friday night in the series opener between perennial powers and first-place clubs at Minute Maid Park.

Valdez (9-5) won his fourth consecutive decision by reaching double-digit strikeouts for the second time in three starts. Six of his strikeouts came in succession in the fourth and fifth innings and another came with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth against All-Star Teoscar Hernández. Valdez then retired Andy Pages on a flyout to end the inning.

Bregman clubbed a solo homer in the third inning to put the Astros ahead, 2-0, and Singleton reached the upper deck with a Statcast-projected 403-foot blast in the fourth inning that made it 4-0. Both homers came off Dodgers starter Gavin Stone.

Valdez was removed from the game with 96 pitches in the seventh inning and runners at first and third base and one out. Reliever Bryan Abreu struck out Nick Ahmed, who was the potential tying run, for the second out.

The Dodgers appeared to have scored a run on a Gavin Lux infield hit, but the Astros challenged the play and got the run taken off the board because third baseman Bregman tagged out Enrique Hernández rounding second for the third out before Miguel Vargas had touched home.

Abreu, Ryan Pressly and Tayler Scott combined for 2 2/3 scoreless innings the rest of the way, with Astros pitchers recording 15 strikeouts combined on the night.