HOUSTON -- After a game full of knocks on Friday night against Houston, Kansas City's Alex Gordon opened the door, in the process allowing the Royals inside and into the win column for the first time in 2017.

Gordon's two-run double in the eighth inning broke open a tight game and propelled the Kansas City Royals to a 5-1 win over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

Gordon's huge hit off reliever Jandel Gustave brought home Brandon Moss and Alcides Escobar and followed a bases-loaded passed ball by Astros catcher Evan Gattis that allowed Salvador Perez to score.

In the sixth, another Gattis gaffe with the bases loaded, this time a catcher's interference, sent home Mike Moustakas with the Royals' second run.

Jason Vargas (1-0) garnered the win for Kansas City (1-3), who was swept by Minnesota in its opening series. Vargas, who was making his fourth start since returning last September from Tommy John surgery, allowed one run and six hits in six-plus innings while striking out six and walking one.

"I was able to locate fastballs so that opened up a lot of other options," Vargas said. "Fastball command definitely made everything else look better. I pitched backwards a little bit and got some early strikes with some breaking balls and was able to work off of that. It's always nice to get a strike when you don't have to show them a fastball."

Perez and Escobar had two hits each to lead Kansas City, which collected 10 hits off four Houston pitchers but left 10 runners on base.

"We had to grind it out -- we had opportunities to tack on runs but just couldn't get it done until Gordon got the big double with runners in scoring position," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "That made it a lot easier, relieved some of the pressure and allowed the bullpen guys to be on the attack in a small ballpark.

Mike Fiers (0-1) took the loss for Houston (3-2), which has lost two straight since opening the season with three wins at home against Seattle. Fiers also pitched six innings, allowing two runs (only one of them earned) on five hits with three strikeouts and three bases on balls.

Trailing 2-0 in the seventh, the Astros finally came to life thanks to Carlos Beltran's RBI double that plated Carlos Correa with what would be Houston's lone run. Beltran's run batted in was the 1,537th of his career, which tied him with the legendary Joe DiMaggio for 49th in the all-time list.

The Astros managed just six hits, five of them singles, off five Kansas City pitchers.

"We haven't gotten on track," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "I don't think there is a definitive answer. We faced a little bit of left-handed pitching, so I don't know if it's the soft stuff from the lefties, the overswinging and anxiousness that some of our hitters have had. It's a pretty small sample size when you think about five games."

Perez put the Royals on top in the second with a long home run onto the railroad tracks above left field.

The Astros threatened in the bottom of the second. Beltran and Gattis ripped back-to-back singles with one out, but Vargas coaxed Josh Reddick into a soft flyout to right field and struck out Yuli Gurriel to end the inning.

Neither team got a runner as far as second base through the next three innings as Vargas and Fiers were in control.

"It's a long season -- it's only been five games," Beltran said. "We feel like we are going to hit, we are going to catch the ball, we are going to pitch. I feel like our time is going to come for us."

NOTES: The Astros held a pregame ceremony Friday to present LHP Dallas Keuchel with his 2016 Rawlings Gold Glove Award. Keuchel is the only pitcher in franchise history to win a Gold Glove Award and is the first Astro at any position to win three straight Gold Glove Awards (2014-16) since Craig Biggio won four straight as a second baseman from 1994-97. ... Kansas City had 10 players on its Opening Day roster who were not with the team when the 2016 club opened the campaign. ... Houston OF George Springer has played in a major league-leading 191 straight team games, including all 162 of the Astros games in 2016 and all five this season. ... Kansas City will play 16 of its 20 games at home from April 28-May 18, separated only by a four-game journey to Tampa Bay on May 8-11.