The Rangers have won the first eight games with the Astros in 2016 and beaten them the past 12 times in Arlington going back to last season.
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Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre felt tightness in his left hamstring after rounding second base in the eighth inning, and will be re-valuated Thursday. “Obviously, we know it can be done now in this ballpark, so it’s a good win for us”.
It was the Rangers’ ninth win in their last 10 outings and enabled them to make it eight wins out of eight against the Astros this season.
Astros: LHP Dallas Keuchel (3-7, 5.50 ERA), the reigning AL Cy Young Award victor, has a 3.46 ERA his last two starts since allowing seven runs in six innings in a 9-2 loss to the Rangers and Cole Hamels on May 22.
The Rangers has said Darvish could throw up to 95 pitches.
The Rangers, owners of the best record in the American League, beat Houston 4-3 on Tuesday after a 6-5 walk-off victory on Monday. “You want to get the ball airborne with the heavy sinker that he has, but he got the big punchouts to end the game”. “He showed signs the footwork [is] OK, and I feel confident the instincts and awareness are going to allow him to play over there”. Darvish needed 21 pitches to get through the first inning, a high number given his pitch-count limitations. “It was a timely, well-placed hit”. He matched a season high with eight strikeouts but couldn’t keep the game tied when Hinch chose to send him out for the eighth. Sam Dyson earned his eighth save in the ninth but had to hold off a furious Astros rally.
Rasmus had an RBI single in the seventh that gave Houston its only lead – 5-4 when Correa scored from second. Shawn Tolleson took over to start the sixth.
Jeanmar Gomez completed a two-inning save as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2, while Ryan Flaherty, Mark Trumbo, Chris Davis and Adam Jones went deep in the Baltimore Orioles’ 9-1 win over the Kansas City Royals. Profar, batting.380 with an 11-game hitting streak, has played second, first, designated hitter and now third since being called up.
Beltre leads the team in RBIs (40) and is tied for the team lead with 10 homers; he’ll be re-evaluated Thursday.
The Rangers are red-hot, winning nine of their last 10 and five straight.
Profar has hit safely in each of his first 16 career starts in the leadoff spot, a Rangers record.
Rangers: RHP A.J. Griffin, on the DL since May 8 with right shoulder stiffness, threw a 25-pitch bullpen session.
The Rangers said Dr. Walt Lowe also repaired meniscus and lateral cartilage in that knee during the scheduled procedure in Houston, where Hamilton will begin rehabilitation in the next few days. The 29-year-old right-hander from Japan, who made his third start of the season Wednesday, is so good that when he’s anything less than dominant, Banister must discern whether he’s having a bad day or a physical issue.
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Rangers: Hamels (5-1, 3.39) is six strikeouts shy of 2,000 in his career.
