Astros Cool Off Rangers in Series Finale

The Texas Rangers have cooled off, shedding to the Houston Astros 5-2 within the last recreation of a four-game collection at Minute Maid Park on Sunday.

The Rangers (18-22) entered the collection having gained 4 straight video games. Texas additionally got here into Sunday with a 12-7 file of their final 19 video games, which was tied for the fifth-best file in Main League Baseball in that span.

The Rangers misplaced three of 4 to the Astros (27-15), despite the fact that the pitching employees, total, threw effectively all the collection. However the Rangers’ bats weren’t in a position to generate a lot offense. 

Taylor Hearn

Kole Calhoun

Nathaniel Lowe

The Rangers did make issues fascinating in ninth. With the Astros up 5-1, reliever Blake Taylor surrendered a single to Kole Calhoun and hit Mitch Garver with a pitch. After placing out Nathaniel Lowe, Astros supervisor Dusty Baker pulled Taylor for nearer Ryan Pressly. He gave up a single to Sam Huff to load the bases. Brad Miller then singled to left, scoring Calhoun to make it 5-2.

The Rangers used Jonah Heim as a pinch hitter, however he grounded right into a double play to finish the sport.

For the collection, Texas scored 4 runs in its three losses and scored three runs in Martín Pérez’s complete-game shutout win Friday.

The Rangers had 9 hits (three within the ninth), stranded eight runners and went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring place.

Taylor Hearn (2-3) was unable to get out of the fifth inning for the second straight begin and took the loss for Texas. Jose Urquidy (4-1) gained for Houston. Pressly ended up along with his sixth save.

The Astros grabbed the lead within the first inning on a leadoff residence run by Jose Altuve, his fifth leadoff homer of the season. 

The Astros added to the lead within the third. Altuve doubled with one out, adopted by a Brantley stroll. Alex Bregman doubled down the left-field line, however the ball caromed off the ball and hit a ball boy, holding it close to the wall and forcing Rangers left fielder Eli White to run all the best way over to retrieve it. Altuve scored to make it 2-0.

Hearn and the Rangers escaped extra hassle. Yordan Alvarez hit a fielder’s option to Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien, who threw out Brantley at residence. Yuli Gurriel flew out to Calhoun in proper area to finish the inning.

The Rangers lastly cracked Urquidy within the fifth with Garver’s leadoff residence run. After Lowe grounded out, Huff singled and Miller reached on a bunt that moved Huff to second. With an opportunity to tie, and even take the lead, White struck out and Semien flew out to heart.

The Astros took again their two-run edge within the backside half of the fifth on a Alvarez double to deep right-center area, which scored Bregman. That made it 3-1 Astros and led to the Rangers pulling Hearn. Gurriel then snapped an 0-for-11 streak with a double off Rangers reliever Brett Martin to attain Alvarez and make it 4-1. 

Brad Miller

Jon Grey

Corey Seager

The Astros added one other run within the backside of the eighth on Jeremy Peña’s RBI single to proper, scoring Kyle Tucker.

The Rangers head to the west coast, with an off-day on Monday earlier than beginning a two-game set with the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday. Dane Dunning is the scheduled beginning pitcher for the Rangers. A four-game set at Oakland follows earlier than Texas returns residence to begin a four-game set with Tampa Bay.

Yow will discover Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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