HOUSTON — The Houston Astros’ lineup is at less than full strength. Its top slugger remains sidelined by a hand injury. Its home run leader has a hamstring ailment. Two other outfielders populate its injured list.

A shorthanded unit still staged an outburst Friday — even as it incurred another possible injury concern.

Houston hammered Twins starter Chris Paddack for four innings, doing enough damage in them to coast to a 10-3 win in the opener of a three-game series at Daikin Park. With it, the Astros moved to a season-high nine games above .500.

Their offense totaled 14 hits. Twelve were off Paddack. Six of those went for extra-bases. Five occurred with a runner in scoring position.

Rookies helped ignite the onslaught. Cam Smith and Jacob Melton combined to drive in five runs. Both delivered two-out hits to key a three-run first inning. Melton added a two-run triple in the third, his first extra-base hit in the majors, before exiting the game with an ankle issue.

Jeremy Peña struck four hits from the leadoff spot, continuing his brilliant first half. The shortstop scored two runs, drove in one and raised his batting average to .333. Three qualified major-league hitters awoke Friday with a higher one.

Jose Altuve and Jake Meyers each added two hits. Altuve drove a two-run double against Paddack in the second, one of those runs unearned due to an error on Twins shortstop Carlos Correa. Two innings later, Altuve lifted a first-pitch slider from the right-hander into the Crawford Boxes.

His 10th home run of the season gave Houston a 9-1 lead. Rookie Colton Gordon, buoyed by his offense, gave Houston a quality start to earn his second major-league win. Two solo home runs were all the left-hander allowed.

Three solo home runs comprised the Twins’ offense. Willi Castro and Royce Lewis each had one against Gordon. Ty France hit one off Steven Okert in the ninth, a loud swing that, at that point, meant little.

Melton exits

Melton was removed from the game in the top of the fifth inning with “right ankle soreness,” the Astros announced. It was not immediately clear when the issue arose. Melton played defense in the top of the fourth. The Astros had a pinch-hitter ready to take his spot in the bottom of the fourth, however.

It curtailed Melton’s best game yet in the majors. His two-run triple in the third carried a 111.3 mph exit velocity. Melton motored into third and scored on Mauricio Dubón’s medium-deep sacrifice fly, showing the potential mix of power and speed the Astros value.

Dubón, who started the game at third base, moved to left field in the fifth inning to replace Melton. Shay Whitcomb entered the game in Melton’s spot in the order and replaced Dubón at third base.

Melton dealt with back and groin injuries early this season that limited him to 17 games with Triple-A Sugar Land before his call-up to Houston on June 1.

Quality start from Gordon

Gordon completed six innings for the first time in his six major-league starts. It required 102 pitches, but the left-hander limited the Twins to two runs. Castro sent a fastball into the Crawford Boxes in the fourth inning. Lewis drove a curveball out to left-center in the sixth.

Both came with Houston holding a wide lead that gave Gordon license to attack the zone. He was not as efficient as that might have allowed yet walked just one batter and struck out five. Minnesota fouled off 23 of his pitches, hiking his count.

Gordon worked his first two innings on 23 pitches. A key at-bat came in the third. Brooks Lee singled and Harrison Bader doubled. A two-out walk to Ryan Jeffers loaded the bases for Carlos Correa. Gordon built an 0-2 count with two breaking balls and threw a four-seam fastball that Correa rolled over for a ground out.

Gordon leaned more on his four-seamer than in previous starts, throwing it 47% of the time. He induced just 10 whiffs on 51 swings but got Houston into the seventh inning on a night when the offense offered a longer leash for its starter. Gordon has a 4.70 ERA through six major-league starts.

First-inning offense

For the second time in three games, the Astros’ offense bucked its first-inning anemia to stake a rookie starter to an early lead. Houston totaled 15 first-inning runs in its first 66 games this season. It scored three in a rout of the White Sox on Wednesday, an edge starter Ryan Gusto later acknowledged offered him more leeway to attack the strike zone.

Friday, Houston sent eight men to the plate in the first inning against Paddack. Four struck hits. Peña grounded a leadoff single up the middle. Yainer Diaz, moved up to the second lineup spot with Isaac Paredes sidelined by a hamstring injury, pulled a first-pitch double into the left-field corner. A one-out walk to Christian Walker loaded the bases.

The Astros entered Friday hitting .143 with the bases loaded this season. No team in the majors sported a lower average. Paddack struck out Jake Meyers for the second out. But Smith lined a first-pitch fastball to center field for a single, scoring two runs. Smith pointed to Houston’s dugout on his way to first base. He had been hitless in three bases-loaded at-bats.