Rangers Top Astros
ARLINGTON, Texas — Cole Hamels sure seems to love his new playground.
The Texas lefty improved to a perfect 7-0 at Globe Life Park after the Rangers’ 2-1 win Wednesday night over the Houston Astros.
Texas (9-6) has taken the first two of the three-game series against its instate American League West rival.
Hamels also improved to 3-0 for the first time in his career and ran his career-high winning streak to 10 games. Yu Darvish is the only other Ranger to open 7-0 in Arlington.
Since coming over from Philadelphia last season, Texas has won all 14 of Hamels’ regular-season starts.
“Wins are wins,” Hamels said. “It’s big to be able to have it for the team, no matter if it’s showing on my record or not.”
This victory wasn’t the cleanest for Hamels against the aggressive-swinging Astros. Hamels hit three batters and walked three, while often working around men on base during his 6 2/3 innings.
Seven strikeouts and three double-plays aided Hamels cause, as Houston
stranded seven baserunners against him and nine for the game. The Astros were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
“This team is tough to get out,” Hamels said. “They’ve got tons of energy, especially when they’re on the base paths they’re going to create some havoc.”
Three Texas relievers protected a one-run lead, with Shawn Tolleson working a one-hit ninth for his fifth save and second in two nights.
The Astros (5-10) dropped six of their last eight contests and nine in a row in Arlington.
“We’ve lost too many games,” Houston manager A.J. Hinch said, “but we’ve lost because of small things and it’s very much something we’re going to address.”
Houston starter Doug Fister (1-2) was solid in his six innings of work, giving up five hits and walking two. One of those walks came around to score on Rougned Odor’s two-run blast into the right-field upper deck in the second.
“I was fighting to get a 3-2 count,” Odor said. “He threw me a fastball up and in, and I just put a good swing on it.”
Houston was finally able to get to Hamels and on the board in the sixth on Tyler White’s solo shot into the visitor’s bullpen in left-center.
The Rangers took a 2-0 lead off Fister in the second on Odor’s two-run blast into the right-field upper deck.
Hamels found himself in a serious jam in each of the first two innings, but the veteran was able to dance around trouble and get out of each frame unscathed. The Astros didn’t do themselves any favors with questionable base running.
Hamels opened the game by hitting Houston’s first two batters. Two strikeouts followed, with the second preceding a caught stealing to end the inning. The Astros loaded the bases in the second with no outs before a bigger meltdown.
Marwin Gonzalez lifted a fly ball to medium depth to right and Texas right fielder Nomar Mazara fired to the plate. Colby Rasmus, at third, didn’t fully commit to going home. The runners at first and second tagged and tried to advance. They forced Rasmus off third, leading to a rundown and an unlikely double play that thwarted Houston’s threat.
“We see Colby take off and he stops and we had stop, too,” said Carlos Gomez, who was at first. “They take advantage and throw it to first and got me (hung up).”
Hamels would continue to live well. Houston’s Jose Altuve was gunned down trying to stretch a single into a double to lead off the third. The Astros would also strand runners at the corners in the fifth.
“He settled in after the two hit batters,” Texas manager Jeff Banister said of Hamels. “We helped him out to get out of both of those innings and then he found his groove.”
