Nathan Eovaldi worked seven innings of four-hit ball, but Spencer Arrighetti was just a little bit better as the Texas Rangers lost to the Houston Astros 5-1 on Thursday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Eovaldi gave up four hits, five earned runs, walked two, and struck out six. His record falls to 5-6 this season and Eovaldi now has a 3.93 ERA.

Arrighetti goes to 7-1 this season as he worked six innings, giving up one earned run on a Josh Jung solo homer. Arrighetti walked one and struck out three, leaving the game with a 1.34 ERA. Nate Pearson, Steven Okert, Enyel De Los Santos, and Bryan Abreu followed Arrighetti and kept the Rangers' bats in check.

Jung hit his sixth home run this season in the bottom of the second inning off of Arrighetti, a blast over the left-center field wall. 

Rangers shortstop Ezequiel Duran had two of the team's total four hits on Thursday night. It just wasn't a powerful offensive night for Texas at the plate.

As for the Astros, they completed a 10-game road trip with this four-game series against the Rangers and went 7-3 in those 10 games. Houston also took three of four games as the Lone Star Series for the Silver Boot continued over the past four nights.

Jeremy Peña got the Astros on the board with a leadoff home run in the top of the first inning, his second home run this season. Peña's blast rocketed over the left-field wall into the second deck at Globe Life Field.

The red-hot Yordan Alvarez coaxed a walk off of Eovaldi, which wasn't such a bad thing since he tore up Rangers pitching in this series. But Isaac Parades stepped up and pulled an Eovaldi pitch over the left-field wall for a two-run homer.

That was Paredes' sixth homer this season and the Astros were up 3-0 before Texas came to the plate.

In the bottom of the first inning with two outs, Texas' Brandon Nimmo smoked an Arrighetti pitch that was headed just over the right-field wall.

But Astros right fielder Cam Smith made what might be one of the best plays this MLB season. Smith leapt right as the ball was going over the right-field fence, put his glove up, and squeezed the ball. 

After he came down with it, Smith looked into his glove to make sure the ball was there. Replays showed Arrighetti simply stunned by what Smith did out in right field.

Jung's home run closed the gap to 3-1, yet the Astros weren't done scoring.

In the top of the third inning, after Eovaldi got Peña and Alvarez out, Paredes walked. An Eovaldi wild pitch moved Paredes to second base. Taylor Trammell then pulled an Eovaldi pitch down the right-field line for a double, scoring Paredes for a 4-1 Astros lead.

Smith stepped to the plate and lined a sharp single to Rangers center fielder Evan Carter. Trammell came around to score and the Astros were up 5-1.

Then, in the bottom of the seventh with one out, Duran reached base on an infield hit to third base. Duran then stole second base, and Kyle Higashioka coaxed a walk off of Pearson. This set the Rangers up with runners at first and second base with one out, a potential scoring opportunity.

But Pearson struck out Nicky Lopez, the Rangers' No. 9 hitter, for the second out. Astros manager Joe Espada then came out and brought Okert into the game. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker countered by pulling Joc Pederson in favor of pinch-hitter Justin Foscue.

Okert coaxed Foscue into an inning-ending pop-out to Astros second baseman Nick Allen, ending the Rangers' threat.

Texas had another potential scoring chance in the bottom of the eighth inning. Okert hit Nimmo with a pitch with one out. De Los Santos came on in relief of Okert. Jung walked and Nimmo moved to second base.

Carter struck out for the second out and Jake Burger popped out to Astros third baseman Braden Shewmake for the third and final out.

Abreu worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning, and that was the ballgame.

The Astros are now in third place in the American League West Division with a 26-32 record. As for the Rangers, they fall to 25-31 and are now in fourth place in the AL West.

Texas will not get a day off, though, as Bobby Witt Jr. and the Kansas City Royals come to Arlington and open a three-game weekend series at Globe Life Field on Friday night.

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