The Houston Astros defeated the Texas Rangers 6-4 inside Globe Life Field on Wednesday afternoon. The victory clinches the season series 7-6 for Houston over Texas, giving the, the tiebreaker as well.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Rangers sent right-hander Jose Urena to the mound to begin this game. He had a shaky first inning, allowing two singles and a walk to load the bases. Jeremy Pena then grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring a run with an RBI. That gave Houston an early 1-0 lead.
The Astros sent newly acquired Yusei Kikuchi to the mound for his second start with the team. Kikuchi worked a smooth 1-2-3 first inning, keeping the Houston lead in tact.
In the top of the third, Yordan Alvarez homered for the second time in as many days. That doubled the Houston lead from one to two.
In the top of the sixth, the Houston offense added on some more. Urena only lasted four innings, so it was against the Rangers’ bullpen. Victor Caratini got things going with a solo homer. Then, Mauricio Dubon added one with an RBI double. Jose Altuve added an RBI single himself, and by that time it was 5-0 in favor of the visitors from Houston.
Kikuchi was excellent in this outing. He worked scoreless into the sixth frame. In that inning, Texas got on the board via a Marcus Semien solo home run. Another runner reached, and that brought Kikuchi’s outing to a close, with him finishing five and a third innings. He also struck out eight. That extra runner would come around to score on an RBI triple from Nathaniel Lowe, and Texas got one more in the inning to cut the lead to 5-3.
Houston got an insurance run in the top of the eighth on an RBI single from Alex Bregman. It was erased, however, as Jonah Heim answered it with an RBI hit in the bottom half. That made it 6-4 Astros.
Josh Hader came on to close things out, and did so with a 1-2-3 inning. The Astros won it 6-4.
BIG NUMBER: 7
The Astros’ seventh win of the season over Texas gave them the season series and the Silver Boot. It also gives them the season tiebreaker, which may help come playoff time.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Josh Hader
Hader made sure there was no drama in the ninth, as he worked a quick inning. That no-stress save was a welcome sight for Houston.
UP NEXT: The Astros will have an off day tomorrow before traveling to Boston to begin a three-game series against the Red Sox beginning on Friday.