Rangers Beat Astros
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ARLINGTON, Texas — Rookie right-hander Nick Martinez continued his recent upturn, and the Texas Rangers kept up their torrid pace Tuesday night,
Martinez fired 6 2/3 scoreless innings as the Rangers recorded a 2-1 victory over the Houston Astros at Globe Life Park.
Texas (64-93) won for the 10th time in 11 games, including back-to-back victories to open a season-ending, seven-game homestand. The Rangers go for the series sweep over Houston on Wednesday night.
The Rangers also earned their fifth consecutive home game, matching their best home sequence of the season, April 15-19. Texas improved to 11-10 in September, its third-highest win total in any month this season with five games remaining.
Martinez (5-11) limited the Astros to five hits and no walks while striking out five. He has a 2.12 ERA in his past five starts, including his commanding and efficient outing against Texas’ in-state rival.
“I felt good,” Martinez said. “I had a real good feel for my changeup, locating my fastball, and (catcher Robinson Chirinos) did a heck of job back there. He also supplied a bit of the offense.”
Chirinos’ solo homer in the fourth inning opened the scoring.
Martinez won for the first time at home and did not issue a walk for the
first time in 23 starts this season.
“I saw him take another step tonight,” Rangers interim manager Tim Bogar said. “He pounded the strike zone. He got ahead of a lot of guys.”
The Astros (69-89) have been stymied in the series so far, managing just four runs in two games. Second baseman Jose Altuve, who went 0-for-4 Tuesday, is 1-for-8 over the series to drop his major-league-leading batting average to .343.
“(Altuve) squared two balls up today and hit them right on the nose and hit them right at people,” Houston interim manager Tom Lawless said. “He’s pretty much our catalyst. We go the way he goes most of the time.”
The Astros came to Arlington on their own roll. Houston was 12-8 over the preceding 20 games and 10-8 on the road. Despite the two losses, the Astros already won the season series against Texas, taking an 11-7 record into the last game of 2014 between the clubs.
The Rangers pounded out 12 hits Tuesday, including nine against Houston starter Brett Oberholtzer (5-13). Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre and right fielder Jake Smolinski each had three hits, and left fielder Ryan Rua added two hits.
Trailing 2-0, Houston threatened in the ninth, putting runners at second and third with one out against Texas reliever Neal Cotts. Third baseman Matt Dominguez’s sacrifice fly brought home center fielder Dexter Fowler, but the rally ended there. Cotts coaxed a grounder out of shortstop Jonathan Villar to end the game and pick up his second save.
“We just couldn’t put anything together until the ninth,” Lawless said.
Chirinos extended his hitting streak to eight games with his 12th home run of the season.
“I was able to put a good swing on that changeup and get it outside the park,” he said. “It was good to help my team win.”
After Chirinos’ homer, Texas designated hitter J.P. Arencibia followed with a double and scored on left fielder Daniel Robertson’s single to left through a drawn-in infield. Oberholtzer limited the damage to two runs with an inning-ending double play.
Oberholtzer lasted just 4 1/3 innings though he allowed only two runs. He gave up nine hits and two walks, and he struck out three.
“Every inning was pretty stressful,” said Oberholtzer, who is 0-4 against Texas in his career. “A lot of baserunners put me in some stressful situations.”
Three Houston relievers blanked Texas over the final 3 2/3 innings.
Shortstop Marwin Gonzalez collected two of the Astros’ seven hits.
