HOUSTON -- The Royals displayed supreme patience in riding out another sterling start by Astros ace left-hander Dallas Keuchel, and when the opportunity presented itself to face a different Houston pitcher, they were quick to capitalize.

Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez clubbed back-to-back home runs as the Kansas City Royals erupted for six runs in the eighth inning of their 7-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park.

The Royals (2-3) broke out against Astros reliever Luke Gregerson (0-1), with Alex Gordon delivering a two-run double and Lorenzo Cain an RBI single before Hosmer and Perez struck. Hosmer hit his first homer on the year, Perez his third.

Gordon plated Alcides Escobar and pinch-runner Raul Mondesi for a 3-2 Kansas City lead. Gordon delivered a two-run double in the eighth inning on Friday night.

"We kept hoping we could get Keuchel out of there," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "You come into these games and hope that he's not on his game but that was not the case."

Said Hosmer of the Gordon double: "A hit like that, it just breaks the ice because like I've been telling you, I think we were just lacking that one big hit to get things going so that just broke the ice for everybody and you can just sense the energy change in the dugout and it just freed everybody up from that point on."

Houston (3-3) dropped its third consecutive game as its offense continues to sputter. The Astros scratched across eight hits off Royals left-hander Danny Duffy (1-0), including a solo homer by catcher Brian McCann in the bottom of the third.

But Duffy remained largely unbothered even when he encountered trouble. After the Astros loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, all they could manage was one run on a Marwin Gonzalez single to left field. Duffy escaped further damage by getting McCann to roll into a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play.

The Astros have produced just 16 runs in six games this season.

"It's early. We can't press," said Astros right fielder George Springer, who leads the club with three homers but was 0-for-3. "We understand that we are getting hits, but we have to get hits when they count. We just have to stay within ourselves."

Keuchel allowed one run on two hits and one walk with four strikeouts in seven innings and was fabulous defensively despite his first error since Sept. 11, 2015.

Keuchel extended his scoreless innings streak to open the season to 11 before Royals third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert blasted a 1-1 cutter into the left-field seats in the fifth, cutting the two-run deficit in half.

Keuchel followed with a two-base throwing error that allowed Paulo Orlando to reach second with no outs. He then buckled down to record consecutive ground-ball outs after Escobar dropped a sacrifice bunt that advanced Orlando to third.

"I've been feeling pretty good, so just trying to ride the high of the last start into this start," Keuchel said. "It's just an unfortunate turn of events there in the eighth, but it was a good showing through seven."

The Astros failed to capitalize on a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth when center fielder Jake Marisnick was caught stealing after reaching base. Third baseman Alex Bregman added a single to center field, but he was left stranded.

Houston stranded five runners and hit 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

NOTES: Astros RHP Collin McHugh will be shut down for a minimum of six weeks due to a posterior impingement of his right elbow. McHugh opened the season on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis and left his rehab start on Thursday with Triple-A Fresno after just one inning with elbow discomfort. He will be reevaluated following the six-week period. ... Royals 3B Cheslor Cuthbert recorded his first hit of the season with his leadoff home run in the fifth inning. Cuthbert did not play in the series opener after making his season debut on Wednesday. ... With his solo home run in the third inning, Astros C Brian McCann pulled to within five homers of tying Roy Campanella for 10th place in major league history for homers by a catcher. Campanella hit 239 as a backstop from 1948-57.