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Rangers 12, Astros 9: Comeback Fails After Falling Behind Big

Astros make it close after falling behind 11-3 early

By erniebreakfast
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

What Happened

The game started out on a really good note.  Jose Altuve started the offense off with an infield single, and came home on a home run Carlos Correa hit off the left field foul pole.  With rookie star Lance McCullers taking the hill in the bottom of the inning it had the makings of an Astros win.  McCullers did not deliver tonight though.

The Rangers collected seven hits, a walk, and six runs off of the Astros starter in one third of an inning.  It didn't seem to matter what McCullers threw, it was hit.  The final blow was a two run homer to Shin-Soo Choo to make the score 6-2.  After two more batters singled, McCullers was pulled for Josh Fields and he stopped the bleeding.  Fields also held the Rangers scoreless in the following inning.  In the following inning Luis Valbuena hit his long awaited 20th home run to cut the deficit to 6-3.

On obvious short notice, newly acquired pitcher Mike Fiers came in for a long relief stint, which pushed back his first scheduled start (which was to be tomorrow night).  He looked uncomfortable in the role as he gave up six hits, two walks, and five more runs in his first inning of work.  He did settle down and gave the team four more successful innings.  After the terrible third inning he only gave up one hit (an Adrian Beltre home run) and one walk.

The Astros attempted a comeback starting in the fourth inning.  After singles by Evan Gattis and Jed Lowrie, and a walk by Valbuena, Jason Castro got a chunk of the runs back with one swing.  His grand slam cut the lead at the time to 11-7.  Colby Rasmus drove in two more in the seventh inning to make the score 12-9, but that is as close as they would get to putting this one in the win column.  Any hope was lost when Gattis was called out on a 3-2 pitch that was just above his ankles for the second out in the ninth.

These two teams will meet again tomorrow night at 7 pm, as Dan Straily is going for the Astros against Yovani Gallardo for the Rangers.

Fun Facts

As great as this team has been at MMP, they have now lost 11 of their last 13 on the road.

Enough bad news...

Every Astros batter had at least one hit.  Gomez, Lowrie, Valbuena and Castro had two each.

The Astros now have two grand slams on the season.  Both by their catchers.  Both in the last week.

The team now has eight players with ten or more homers.

Tweets of the Night

Astros being proactive with innings for LMJ

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