Already down 1-0 in the series and not wanting to go back to Arlington by two games, the Houston Astros had to bounce back against the Texas Rangers.
To get there, the latter perhaps did not have the best element on the mound, since Framber Valdez was designated, he who is experiencing all kinds of difficulties recently, quite the opposite of last year.
And Valdez’s woes continued in the first inning, as the Rangers scored three runs before a first out was recorded, among other things due to an error by the starter himself. The opening round ultimately ended with Texas leading by four.
The Astros then responded at the bottom of the second inning with Yordan Alvarez’s solo home run against Nathan Eovaldi. Yes yes, him again…
The celebrations, however, were short-lived, with Jonah Heim imitating Alavrez in the next turn at bat. Dusty Baker’s patience with his gunner then reached its limit.
The solo long ball festival continued immediately afterwards, as Alex Bregman stretched his arms to take a point away from his team’s deficit. Result of the races after four rounds: 5-2 in favor of the Rangers.
Then, in the sixth inning, the Astros scored another run, courtesy of Michael Brantley’s double that scored Alvarez.
Two innings later, with Aroldis Chapman on the mound, the monster Alvarez came back with his second home run of the game and his sixth in six games during the current playoffs, bringing the score to 5-4. Deja vu at Minute Maid Park for the Rangers reliever and former New York Yankees…
This late push was insufficient, however, with Jose Leclerc closing the door at the end of the ninth inning and the Rangers taking a 2-0 lead in the series against the Astros who already found themselves in hot water.
The series now moves to Globe Life Field where the two division rivals will meet once again on Wednesday. For the occasion, Max Scherzer is expected to be automatically for the Rangers, while Christian Javier should do the same for the Astros, even if nothing is confirmed on the Houston side.
