The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers played a tight, back-and-forth battle Saturday night, and it came down to the final innings. Houston held on for a 5-4 win, clinching the season series and holding onto first place in the AL West.
Ronel Blanco made his third start of the season and the 48th of his career, and the same rough patch continued Saturday night as it did in his last two starts since returning from Tommy John. Wyatt Langford got him first, taking Blanco deep for his 13th homer of the season, and Texas chipped away from there with an RBI single and a sacrifice bunt to complete the damage.
In the top of the first, Jeremy Peña ranged a long way into shallow left field to run down a pop-up, with LaMonte Wade Jr. sliding out of his way as he made the catch. Blanco struck out Langford to open the game, and the outing started strong before Texas found their footing.
In the bottom of the second, LaMonte Wade Jr.'s RBI single scored Altuve to put Houston up 1-0.
Wyatt Langford tied it 1-1 in the third with his 13th homer of the season off Blanco. Then, with two out, Isaac Paredes stepped up to the plate against deGrom and got a hit, snapping an 0-for-10 career mark against him, his first career hit off deGrom. Taylor Trammell followed with a two-run single, putting Houston up 3-1.
The Rangers answered in the fourth. Alejandro Osuna's RBI single and an Elias Díaz sacrifice bunt tied the game 3-3 to keep things interesting.
Bottom of the fourth, Peña doubled, and Christian Walker's RBI single drove him in to make it 4-3, ending deGrom's night. Yordan Alvarez then scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3.
Texas loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, but Bennett Sousa struck out Ezequiel Duran to escape the jam.
In the top of the sixth, Elias Díaz hit a solo homer to cut the lead to 5-4, and that's where the score stayed.
Peña added a triple in the bottom of the eighth, and the Rangers found themselves with the bases loaded, though the Rangers escaped the jam without further damage.
Josh Hader closed it out in the ninth for his 15th save on the season, and the Astros held on, 5-4. It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win, and this team has found a way to grab plenty of those lately.
The win clinched the season series against Texas, and Houston remains in first place in the AL West 57-55. The Astros now look to complete back-to-back sweeps Sunday afternoon at Daikin Park.
