The Houston Astros defeated the Texas Rangers 6-3 on Monday night inside Daikin Park. The loss closes the gap between Texas and Houston, and distances Seattle’s lead in the division as well.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Astros (82-69) started with Jason Alexander on the mound. He navigated a clean first inning, retiring the side in order.
The Rangers (79-72) countered with Jack Leiter. Leiter allowed a single and walk to start the game. Then, Carlos Correa reached on an infield single with Leiter’s throw going into right field. Jeremy Pena and Yordan Alvarez scored, but Alvarez slipped on home plate and was injured. He left the game with an ankle sprain. The Astros led 2-0 after one inning.
Alexander worked four scoreless innings to start, navigating the Ranger lineup effectively. However, Texas would get things going in the fifth. After a Pena error, Josh Jung launched a two-run shot to tie the game at two. Then, a manufactured run scored on an infield hit, stolen base, and RBI single from Josh Smith. That gave Texas a 3-2 lead.
The Astros regained the lead in the bottom half when Zach Cole continued the hot start to his big league career. He mashed a two-run shot of his own allowing Houston to retake the lead at 4-3.
Insurance runs came for Houston in the bottom of the seventh. Jesus Sanchez, who threw a runner out at the plate in the top half, started things with a double. Pena scored him on an RBI double. Then, Cole came through again with an RBI hit to make it 6-3 Houston.
The Astros bullpen did an outstanding job in this game. Bryan King and Bryan Abreu handled the back end, closing down this game for an important win.
BIG NUMBER: 3
The number three signifies multiple things. First, it is the number of RBIs that Zach Cole delivered. It is also the number of runs the Rangers were held to, with the Houston bullpen keeping them at that total throughout the back half of this game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Zach Cole
Cole was not even in the starting lineup of this one. He came in for Alvarez and delivered two hits, a home run, and three RBIs. He continues to be an unlikely yet critical spark for the Houston offense down the stretch.
UP NEXT: The Astros and Rangers will meet again at 7:10 tomorrow night. You can listen to the action on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.