The Houston Astros became the third major-league club to reach 50 victories this season after blanking the Chicago Cubs 2-0 on Sunday. Framber Valdez worked six scoreless innings to trim his ERA to 2.72, extending the team’s perfect record to 10-0 over his last ten starts. Jose Altuve supplied all the offense with his 13th home run, and the win gave Houston its ninth shutout and a 7-game cushion atop the American League West. Altuve continued his surge on Wednesday in Denver, driving in two runs with a sixth-inning single that moved him past Jeff Bagwell for second place on the franchise’s all-time hits list at 2,315. The hit lifted Houston to a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies and secured the club’s 12th consecutive series win. The second baseman’s hot streak carried into Friday night at Dodger Stadium, where he belted two more home runs as Houston opened a 17-1 lead through six innings, fueled by a 10-run frame that marked the most runs Los Angeles has allowed in a single inning since 1999. The game was still in progress at the time of publication, but the barrage underscored the Astros’ league-leading form heading into the season’s final stretch.