Updated

Adrian Beltre had a pair of RBI singles among his three hits, Josh Hamilton hit a two-run triple off the wall and the Texas Rangers opened the Lone Star Series with an 8-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday night.

The AL West leaders scored in each of the first three innings, quickly settling back in at home after a 3-7 road trip wrapped a stretch of playing 17 of 20 games on the road.

Mitch Moreland had a leadoff homer in the eighth, a towering shot estimated at 455 feet that landed halfway up in the second deck of seats in right field.

Derek Holland (6-2) pitched into the eighth to win at Rangers Ballpark for the first time in nearly two months. The left-hander allowed three runs and six hits with four strikeouts over 7 1-3 innings.

Holland had allowed 10 runs over 12 1-3 innings in two starts, both on the road, since throwing a five-hit shutout June 4 at Cleveland. He had made four starts at home without a decision since a win over Kansas City on April 22.

J.A. Happ (3-9) lost his fifth straight decision in a span of seven starts. He gave up seven runs (five earned) and eight hits over 2 2-3 innings, the left-hander's shortest outing of the season, before reliever Aneury Rodriguez threw 4 1-3 scoreless innings.

The Astros (27-47) dropped to 20 games under .500, their lowest point since September 2007, when they reached 21 games under. The only time Houston plummeted to 20 games under .500 in fewer games was in 2000, at 25-45.

Ian Kinsler reached on an error by third baseman Chris Johnson leading off the first and scored on Beltre's first single to put Texas up 1-0. Michael Young added an RBI double and Nelson Cruz a sacrifice fly.

Hamilton tripled off the left-center wall in the second and came home when Beltre singled again to make it 6-0. Craig Gentry, who had a career-high three hits, chased Happ with an RBI double in the third.

Michael Bourn led off the Houston fourth with his 19th infield hit. Jeff Keppinger followed with a double before a sacrifice fly by Carlos Lee and an RBI single by Jason Michaels made it 7-2.

Michaels, who entered hitting .190 with three RBIs in 35 games, had another RBI single in the eighth.

The Astros' first hit was Carlos Corporan's one-out single in the third. He was quickly doubled up when second baseman Kinsler made an over-the-shoulder grab of Jason Bourgeois' popup in short right with Corporan already running from first base.

Holland also had an impressive defensive play of his own, reaching toward the third base side to snag Johnson's liner to start the seventh.

Texas and Houston play six times in a span of 11 days when both teams have two days off. The Rangers have won 11 of the last 13 in their instate rivalry.

NOTES: Bourn got his major league-best 30th stolen base in the first inning. It is his fourth consecutive season with at least 30 steals. ... Hamilton has hit safely in 15 consecutive interleague games at home. ... The game opened a stretch of 16 of 19 games at home for Texas going into the All-Star break. ... Before Happ's early meltdown, Houston starting pitchers had a 2.17 ERA the previous nine games. ... The Astros finished 72-90 in 2000. Through 74 games in its 1962 inaugural season, Houston was 32-41-1.