HOUSTON -- Right-hander Carlos Carrasco lugged the momentum he established during the final two months last season into his first start of 2015, carrying a shutout into the seventh inning of the Cleveland Indians' 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park.

Carrasco (1-0) signed a four-year, $22 million contract extension Tuesday. After closing last season with a 1.70 ERA over his final 10 starts, Carrasco allowed three hits and one walk before departing with one out in the seventh inning.

His final out, a strikeout of Astros first baseman Chris Carter, was his 10th and left him just two shy of his career high established against the Astros on Sept. 17, 2014, in Houston.

The Indians provided Carrasco modest run support in the form of solo home runs from first baseman Carlos Santana in the fourth inning and left fielder Mike Aviles in the eighth. Aviles, a last-minute replacement for Michael Brantley (lower back stiffness), struck his blow to left field off Astros right-hander Pat Neshek.

Astros right-hander Scott Feldman (0-1) allowed one run on five hits while striking out five over 6 2/3 innings. His strong outing was buried amid a flurry of strikeouts from the Houston offense, 13 total.

Indians closer Cody Allen struck out two in the ninth inning for his first save of the season.

Given his struggles during spring training, Feldman opened his first start of the season in promising fashion. He did surrender two-out singles in the first and second innings but escaped unscathed.

The Indians reached Feldman in the fourth inning when Santana slapped a one-out solo home run to right field on his 29th birthday. Santana delivered his dinger just out of the reach of right fielder George Springer and spotted Cleveland a 1-0 lead.

Carrasco fanned three consecutive batters bridging the first and second innings and limited the Astros to two fluky hits before Springer laced a one-out double into the left-center gap in the sixth.

Carrasco worked around baserunners in the second and fifth and repeatedly relied on strikeouts to limit damage. After the Springer extra-base hit, Carrasco struck out third baseman Luis Valbuena for the third time before doing the same to designated hitter Evan Gattis.

NOTES: Indians RHP Josh Tomlin underwent successful right shoulder surgery, and the club remains optimistic that he could return after the All-Star break. Tomlin had an arthroscopic debridement of the AC joint at Cleveland Clinic to manage inflammation that marred his spring training. ... Astros manager A.J. Hinch announced that C Hank Conger would start the series finale Thursday and that he plans to start his remaining reserves, INFs Marwin Gonzalez and Jonathan Villar and OF Robbie Grossman, at least once each by the close of the weekend series against the Texas Rangers. ... Indians LF Michael Brantley was scratched from the lineup with lower back stiffness. He is day-to-day.