Astros rally vs. Mets in eighth inning

NEW YORK — The Astros rallied for their biggest come-from-behind win of the season Saturday afternoon, scoring three times in the eighth inning on the strength of four walks and one hit — a clutch two-out, two-run single by Alex Bregman — to stun the Mets, 9-6, at Citi Field.

The win was Houston’s eighth in its past nine games and got the club back to .500 (41-41) entering Sunday’s series finale in Queens. The Astros improved to 3-29 this year in games in which they trailed after seven innings.

Starter Framber Valdez’s wobbly outing — six earned runs and 10 hits allowed in 4 2/3 innings — put the Astros in a 6-1 hole after three innings against a red-hot Mets team that had won 12 of its previous 14 games. Valdez walked three batters and gave up one homer, but his outing was undone by a fielding error in New York’s five-run third inning, after which the lefty pounded his glove into the ground.

No worries, though, because the Astros started chipping away. Jeremy Peña drove in a pair with a double and came around to score on a Jon Singleton single in the fourth to cut the lead to 6-4, and two walks by Mets reliever Jake Diekman to start the eighth set the stage for Houston’s comeback.

The bases were loaded with two outs after reliever Reed Garrett walked Trey Cabbage, though the umpires needed a replay check to make sure he drew ball four. Garrett’s wild pitch scored Jake Meyers, and after Jose Altuve walked to load the bases again, Bregman ripped a 3-2 pitch into right field to score Peña and Cabbage and put the Astros ahead. Mauricio Dubón padded Houston’s lead with a two-run double in the top of the ninth.