HOUSTON — The Los Angeles Dodgers exploded for eight runs and a long-awaited home run barrage, dismantling the Houston Astros 8-3 on Tuesday night at Daikin Park in a game that signaled a potential offensive awakening for the struggling National League powerhouse.

Steven Ochard took the mound as the opener for the Astros, making his fifth career major league start, all in that role. The left-hander began with electric stuff, striking out Shohei Ohtani on one pitch and Freddy Freeman on three pitches to open the game. But the Dodgers quickly found their rhythm, stringing together two-out hits from Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez before Kyle Tucker delivered the first blow.

Tucker, the former Astros first-round pick who spent seven seasons in Houston before signing a massive free agent deal with Los Angeles this offseason, laced a two-out, two-run single to right-center field. The hit scored Smith and gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The crowd, which had cheered Tucker during pregame introductions, fell silent as he rounded first base.

The lead was short-lived. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, making his first career start against the Astros, struggled with command early. He walked Isaac Paredes after allowing a leadoff single to Yordan Alvarez, then surrendered a two-out RBI single to Jose Altuve that tied the game at 1-1. A wild pitch from Yamamoto allowed Paredes to score from third, giving Houston a 2-1 lead after the first inning.

But the Dodgers responded with a vengeance in the second inning. Alex Freeland, the switch-hitting second baseman, crushed a solo home run to left field, tying the game at 2-2. It was the Dodgers first home run in seven games, snapping a drought that had plagued the offense for nearly a week.

The floodgates opened in the third inning. Ohtani drew a four-pitch walk with two outs, setting the stage for Will Smith, who launched a deep fly ball to left-center field. Astros center fielder Bryce Matthews leaped at the wall, got his glove on the ball, but it popped out as he crashed into the padding. Smith was credited with a two-run double, giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.

Kyle Tucker then stepped to the plate and delivered the exclamation point. On a 2-2 pitch, Tucker sent a towering home run to right field, a no-doubt blast that sailed deep into the Houston night. The solo shot was his second hit of the game and his 18th RBI of the season, and it extended the Dodgers lead to 4-2.

The Dodgers kept pouring it on. Ohtani reached on a fielder’s choice that scored a run, and Freddy Freeman lined a two-run single that scored another, pushing the lead to 7-2. The Astros defense unraveled, with an error by Cam Smith allowing Ohtani to score from first base.

Yamamoto settled down after the rocky first inning, retiring the Astros in order in the second, third, and fourth innings. He finished with six strong innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out eight. His sinker, which has outperformed his four-seam fastball this season, kept Houston hitters off balance.

The Dodgers added another run in the fifth inning when Freeland singled and later scored on Freeman’s second RBI single of the game. The hit made it 8-2, and the Dodgers never looked back.

The Astros managed a solo home run from Zack Cole in the bottom of the fifth, his second of the season, but it was too little, too late. Cole, who homered on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues last year, crushed a fastball to right field to cut the deficit to 8-3.

Bryce Matthews made a spectacular catch in the top of the sixth, crashing into the padded wall in right-center field to rob the Dodgers of extra bases. It was the second consecutive game the Astros center fielder made a highlight-reel play, but it did little to stem the tide.

The Dodgers bullpen took over from there. Blake Treinen struck out the side in the eighth inning, and Jack Dreyer closed out the ninth with a pair of strikeouts. The Dodgers finished with 15 strikeouts as a staff, a dominant performance that put the Astros on their heels.

The win snapped a stretch of offensive futility for the Dodgers, who had averaged just over two runs per game over their last five contests and had not hit a home run in six straight games. The four home runs they hit Tuesday night tied a season high and provided a much-needed boost for a team that entered the series with questions about its lineup.

For the Astros, the loss was a frustrating start to a three-game series against a team they have faced in two World Series. The offense managed just three runs on seven hits, and the bullpen allowed five runs over the final four innings.

The series continues Wednesday night at Daikin Park, with the Dodgers looking to build on their offensive breakout and the Astros searching for answers against a suddenly potent Los Angeles lineup.