ARLINGTON, Texas -- Houston starting pitcher Collin McHugh picked right up from his impressive rookie season as one of the Astros' most reliable arms, turning in a five-hit gem to spoil the Texas Rangers' home opener, 5-1, Friday afternoon at Globe Life Park.

McHugh won his eighth consecutive game dating back to last August by keeping a Rangers offense coming off a 10-run explosion a day earlier in Oakland completely off-kilter through the six innings he worked.

McHugh struck out four and walked two while throwing 87 pitches before first-year Houston manager A.J. Hinch lifted him after giving up a single run in the bottom of the sixth that cut the Astros' lead to 2-1.

The Astros' anemic offense during its opening series against Cleveland didn't give McHugh much wriggle room while he was on the mound, although it did end up producing 10 hits off six Rangers pitchers after totaling just eight hits for a .096 team batting average in all three games against the Indians.

Houston shortstop Jed Lowrie got to Rangers left-handed starter Derek Holland with a two-out first-inning solo home run that bounced off the top of the left-field wall. It would have been a two-run shot had second baseman Jose Altuve not gotten picked off second base after opening the game with a first-pitch single up the middle before moving up to second on George Springer's sacrifice bunt.

Holland would leave the game after the first inning after experiencing tightness in his throwing shoulder that first flared up during his pregame tosses prior to the first pitch. He took the loss and will now wait to see when he can pitch again. Right-handed reliever Anthony Bass took over and allowed one run and four hits over five innings.

Houston's No. 9 hitter, Jake Marisnick, doubled over the head of third baseman Adrian Beltre to score Jason Castro for a 2-0 lead.

The Rangers finally put a dent in McHugh's day with a single run in the bottom of the sixth. Following Beltre's one-out rope to the left-center field gap and Prince Fielder's soft single to right, Delino DeShields bounced to short to score Beltre to make it 2-1.

Houston quickly retaliated in the top of the seventh to regain its two-run cushion. Again it was the nine-hole hitter Marisnick coming through with a single that scored Robbie Grossman, who had doubled off Rangers reliever Ramon Mendez in his only inning of work.

Astros reliever Pat Neshek threw a perfect seventh inning and righty reliever Chad Qualls got the Rangers in order in the eighth.

In the top of the ninth, Houston's Colby Rasmus, inserted as a defensive replacement in left field in the bottom of the seventh, padded the lead to 5-1 with a two-run homer to right field off Texas closer Neftali Feliz.

Houston right-hander Luke Gregerson sealed the first of three games against their in-state rivals with a scoreless ninth inning after allowing a double to Fielder.

NOTES: Rangers SS Elvis Andrus remained batting seventh after being dropped from batting second in the lineup for Thursday's series finale at Oakland. RF Shin-Soo Choo continues to bat second. ... An error charged to Andrus in Wednesday's game at Oakland was changed to an infield single, leaving the shortstop with three errors and not four. ... Rangers manager Jeff Banister used four different batting orders in the first five games. ... The Astros begin a stretch of 15 consecutive games against AL West opponents, playing one series against Texas, Los Angeles and Seattle, and two against Oakland. ... Astros RHP Brad Peacock, who is recovering from offseason right hip surgery, made his first rehab start Thursday night for Triple-A Fresno. He tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings (87 pitches), did not allow a hit, walked five and struck out two.