Rangers Lose In 9th
{fshare id=5152}
HOUSTON — Matt Dominguez hit a walk-off single to right-center field, scoring Dexter Fowler and lifting the Houston Astros to a 5-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park.
The Astros (14-27) trailed 4-0 entering the bottom of the sixth inning before rallying, with Dominguez delivering his career first walk-off hit. Houston was 1-18 when trailing after six innings before Fowler reached on a single against right-hander Nick Martinez (0-1) and advanced into scoring position when catcher Jason Castro followed with a walk.
Silenced by Rangers starter Nick Tepesch, the Astros rallied against the Texas bullpen after Fowler chased Tepesch with a one-out walk in the sixth.
Rangers left-hander Aaron Poreda faced four batters and all four reached base, with Astros pinch-hitter Jesus Guzman and designated hitter Chris Carter delivering RBI singles after Castro walked and Dominguez singled to load the bases.
Rangers right-hander Jason Frasor put out the fire in the sixth by striking out pinch-hitter Marwin Gonzalez and shortstop Jonathan Villar, but he surrendered a leadoff single to second baseman Jose Altuve before
right fielder George Springer launched a game-tying two-run homer into the left-field seats.
Texas (20-21) dropped below .500 this late in the season for the first time since ending 2009 with a 79-83 record.
The Astros flubbed an early opportunity to pounce on Tepesch, who was making his season debut for the injury-ravaged Rangers. He struck out the side in the first, but only after Fowler (single) and Castro (double) reached with two outs.
Dominguez swung wildly on a 2-2 slider well out of the strike zone to strand Fowler and Castro, and Tepesch quickly settled in. He surrendered a walk in the second and third but did not allow a baserunner into scoring position through the fifth.
Texas, meanwhile, began pecking away at Astros right-hander Scott Feldman in the second, with right fielder Alex Rios cranking a one-out solo homer to left field before catcher J.P. Arencibia and center fielder Leonys Martin added consecutive singles.
Feldman escaped further damage in the second, allowed one run and three hits in the third, and stranded two more baserunners in the fourth before Texas added two runs in the fifth.
Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, third baseman Adrian Beltre and first baseman Prince Fielder reached to open the fifth. Beltre drove home Andrus with a single and Fielder scored Beltre with an opposite-field double. Feldman was lifted trailing 4-0 surrendering a season-high 10 hits on 80 pitches in five innings.
