The Houston Astros capped off a dominant road trip Thursday night with a 5-1 win over the Texas Rangers, taking three out of four in the series. Now 7-3 on the road trip with six wins in the last seven games. The Astros are on a serious roll, first the Cubs, now the Rangers.
Here is a look at the key moments in the final game of the series.
The Offense Got Started Early
Jeremy Peña homered in the first inning off Nathan Eovaldi, his second homer in the last three games. Isaac Paredes followed with a homer to left after a walk to Yordan Alvarez, ending an 0-for-10 skid. Those two homers in the first inning set the tone for the entire game. Taylor Trammell and Cam Smith added two-out RBI hits in the third to make it 5-1.
Cam Smith's Defensive Gem
Smith made a leaping catch over the 8-foot right field wall to rob Brandon Nimmo of a home run in the first inning. It was one of the best defensive plays of the season and it came at exactly the right moment.
Arrighetti Does It Again
Arrighetti continued to do what he's been doing all season, securing wins. He improved to 7-1 with another dominant outing. Six innings, three hits, one run, one walk, two hit batters. ERA barely moved from 1.32 to 1.34. The only damage was a solo homer by Josh Jung in the second. At this point, Arrighetti is one of the best pitchers in baseball.
The Bigger Picture
The Rangers have now lost six of seven overall, and the Astros finished a 7-3 road trip with real momentum. Six wins in the last seven games is the kind of streak this team has been waiting for all season. Yordan Alvarez went 0 for 3, but had already done his damage earlier in the series with five home runs in the first three games, setting the record for most home runs at Globe Life Field by a visiting player.
What's Next
Astros open a home series Friday against the Brewers. Kai-Wei Teng (3-3, 2.19 ERA) takes the mound against Milwaukee's Coleman Crow.
The Astros are playing their best baseball of the season. With Arrighetti leading the way and the offense showing up, this team is starting to look dangerous.
