Josh Smith clubbed a pair of two-run home runs and Josh Sborz worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning as the Texas Rangers claimed the rubber match of their three-game series against the host Houston Astros with a 4-2 victory on Sunday.
The Rangers closed the first half with seven wins over their last nine games and claimed the weekend series over the rival Astros with exceptional pitching. Texas stifled the Houston lineup in a 2-1, 10-inning victory on Saturday and proved equally effective in the series finale, starting with veteran right-hander Max Scherzer.
Smith gifted Scherzer a two-run lead in the first inning by blasting a 3-0 fastball from Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco 392 feet and out to right field. The Astros missed turning a double play behind Blanco (9-4) one batter earlier when shortstop Jeremy Pena pulled first baseman Jon Singleton off the bag attempting to nab Corey Seager. Smith followed with his homer.
Scherzer retired the first six batters he faced before Astros center fielder Jake Meyers smoked a 1-2 changeup off the left-field foul pole leading off the bottom of the third. Meyers’ 10th home run of the season and second of the series cut the deficit in half, but Scherzer followed with five strikeouts over the ensuing seven batters faced.
But the Astros mounted their most serious threat in the fifth, loading the bases against Scherzer with no outs when Joey Loperfido walked following successive singles by Jeremy Pena and Meyers. Sborz entered and immediately muted the uprising with a strikeout of Mauricio Dubon before getting Jose Altuve to lift an infield popup and Alex Bregman to ground out to Smith at third.
Sborz (2-0) worked two perfect innings of relief before Jose Leclerc and Jacob Latz combined for two scoreless innings, with Latz entering with two runners on and one out in the eighth to record a three-pitch strikeout of Yordan Alvarez and retiring Yainer Diaz on a fielder’s choice.
Smith extended Texas’ lead to three runs in the top of that frame. His first-pitch homer off Astros reliever Rafael Montero traveled 383 feet and scored Seager, who worked a two-out walk. Smith has 10 homers this season.
The Astros scratched across a run in the ninth off Rangers All-Star closer Kirby Yates, who rallied to record his 16th save.
Blanco allowed two runs on two hits and two walks with five strikeouts over six innings.
Scherzer allowed one run and four hits over four-plus innings. He struck out six and walked one.
–Field Level Media