Inside the Astros

Houston Astros Hit Their Way to Victory Over Rangers

The Houston Astros evened the Silver Boot series against the Texas Rangers on Saturday in an 8-2 victory.

Kade Kistner

Houston Astros Hit Their Way to Victory Over Rangers
Houston Astros Hit Their Way to Victory Over Rangers /
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The Houston Astros (7-8) are back in the win column after downing the Texas Rangers (8-6) 8-2 to even the Silver Boot series at one apiece. 

The Astros fell behind early when the Rangers took an early 2-0 lead in the third inning. However, rookie Hunter Brown was able to work around a bases loaded jam and record two strikeouts to end the inning. 

Brown looked great in his third start of the season as he turned in a 7.0 innings pitched performance with zero earned runs allowed. He also hit 99 pitches. 

Houston got a break in the bottom of the third when a Yainer Diaz 109.3-mph line drive hit Texas starter Jon Gray in the forearm causing him to exit the game after just 29 pitches. 

From there, the Astros took full advantage of the opportunity. Yordan Alvarez doubled to score Yainer Diaz and Mauricio Dubon to tie the ball game at 2-2. It was a majestic shot that just missed being a three-run home run. 

Once the game was tied, it was off to the races for Houston. The Astros added a run in the fourth via a Yainer Diaz sacrifice fly. And then the bottom of the seventh sealed the deal. 

Five runs were scored in the eighth, the first was a forced run when Alvarez drew a bases loaded walk to make it 4-2.

The next two came on a short Jose Abreu hopper to shortstop Josh Smith who committed an error and allowed Dubon and Alex Bregman to score.

The final two runs came via a Jeremy Peña RBI-double that scored Alvarez and Abreu. 

It was an encouraging performance across all facets. Starting pitching, the bullpen, and the offense all came together and looked like World Series champions on Saturday.

Houston will try and win the series on Sunday when they face the Rangers on Sunday Night Baseball with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CT.

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  5. Watch: Yordan Álvarez's Home Run Wins Astros World Series
  6. Lucas Giolito Claims All Teams Were Cheating in 2017
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  10. Astros' Álvarez Stopped Striking Out and Became the Best Hitter in Baseball

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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.

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