Justin Verlander pitched seven strong innings, George Springer hit a three-run homer and the visiting Houston Astros opened the season with a 5-1 win against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday.

Michael Brantley and Jose Altuve each had two hits including a home run for the defending American League West champion Astros.

Verlander, the 2018 American League Cy Young Award runner-up, outpitched defending Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell.

In his 11th Opening Day start, Verlander (1-0) allowed a run on three hits with nine strikeouts and a walk over 102 pitches.

Snell (0-1) lasted six innings, allowing five runs on six hits -- three of them home runs -- while walking two and striking out three. He hadn't allowed five earned runs in a game since May 13 of last season against Baltimore.

Austin Meadows homered for the Rays and Tommy Pham had two hits.

The Rays got the first two batters on in the seventh via a Yandy Diaz double and a hit batsman, but Verlander struck out Willy Adames and Kevin Kiermaier before retiring Mike Zunino on a groundout.

Leadoff batter Meadows gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the first inning when he connected with a Verlander 2-1 fastball. Pham followed with a single, but he was thrown out attempting to steal and Verlander retired the next two hitters.

The first two Rays' batters reached in the second inning before Verlander got three straight outs.

The Astros took the lead for good in the third. After walks by Robinson Chirinos and Jake Marisnick sandwiched around an out, Springer homered to center on a first pitch curveball.

Brantley homered against Snell leading off the fourth and Altuve homered with two outs in the fifth.

--Field Level Media