Ian Desmond and Rougned Odor produced run-scoring hits in the top of the 11th inning and the Texas Rangers recovered from a ninth-inning collapse to beat the Houston Astros 5-3 on Sunday and take the rubber match of the three-game series at Minute Maid Park.The Rangers (65-47) extended their lead in the American League West to 7 1/2 games over the Astros (57-54) by tagging Chris Devenski (0-4) for a second consecutive game with Shin-Soo Choo opening the 11th with a double to right field before Desmond laced an RBI single to left. He got four outs on Saturday, pitching out of a fifth-inning jam with the help of a nicely-turned double play. Beltran and Lucroy were both acquired on Monday along with right-hander and former Brewers closer Jeremy Jeffress, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning. It was just one of those we’ve got to go out there and compete.
Advertisement
After breezing through the ensuing seven frames with just two baserunners allowed, Keuchel surrendered a two-out double to Beltre in the ninth.
“They’ve shown up huge for us, all three of them”, manager Jeff Banister said.
Alex Bregman got the first three-hit game of his career with two singles and a double and got his first RBI.
BLUE JAYS 4, ROYALS 3 Devon Travis hit his second home run of the game in the ninth inning to lift visiting Toronto over Kansas City.
“This is the type of game that good teams need to win”.
TEXAS: The Rangers have been a bad bet on the road of late, losing 13 of 19 away from Arlington.
Rangers starter Yu Darvish matched Musgrove though, and stifled the Astros offense through seven innings. Bregman, who walked ahead of Altuve, scored his first career run. Harrell then sidestepped hits from Evan Gattis and Tucker, with the latter single advancing Gattis to third with two outs. A one-out walk set up Tony Kemp’s two-out, run-scoring single.
Following a walk to Reed, Harrell induced a sharp grounder to third base off the bat of Jake Marisnick to end that threat.
“When we get a chance to play against a team that’s in front of us, that’s always an opportunity”, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.
“Their first base-runner wasn’t till the fourth”, Hinch said of Musgrove’s start, “he exhausted at the end and still gutted through his performance, I think it’s a big step for a young kid to come up here, get his first start and finish his outing”. “Sometimes I’m trying to throw ideal pitches”.
Darvish allowed no runs on five hits while striking out eight over his seven innings of work to earn a no-decision, and even though two of the most important members of his bullpen faltered, the man in charge of the Texas dugout doesn’t sound anxious.
Astros: OF Colby Rasmus was put on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with a cyst in his right ear.
The 1986 NL Cy Young Award victor Mike Scott threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Dallas Keuchel.
TIGERS 4, METS 3 Victor Martinez homered and Detroit ace Justin Verlander limited NY to four hits in six innings to help host Detroit beat NY for its ninth victory in its past 10 games.
As for the Astros, they’re 1-4 in their last five Saturday games, and 1-5 in their last six game twos of a series.
Advertisement
– Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira announced his retirement, effective at the end of this season.
