Jose Abreu slugged a three-run homer, Yordan Alvarez also drove in three runs and the Houston Astros tied the American League Championship Series at two games apiece with a 10-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday night at Arlington, Texas.
Jose Altuve had three hits and three runs, Chas McCormick hit a two-run blast and Alex Bregman added a two-run triple for Houston, which continued its season-long dominance in the Rangers’ home ballpark.
The Astros are 8-1 when visiting Texas in 2023 while averaging nine runs per game. They have scored 69 runs in their past six games in Arlington.
Houston also has won 18 of its last 21 road games dating back to the regular season.
Adolis Garcia and Corey Seager each a homer and a single for Texas, which has lost two straight games after winning its first seven this postseason.
Game 5 of the best-of-seven series will be played Friday in Arlington.
Astros reliever Ryne Stanek (1-0) induced a double-play ball in the third inning on his lone pitch, and Hunter Brown followed with three scoreless innings.
Houston led 3-0 just 10 pitches into the game.
Jose Altuve hit a leadoff double against Andrew Heaney, and Mauricio Dubon followed with a single. Bregman then ripped a two-run triple to right-center, and Alvarez followed with a sharp RBI single to center. Heaney was done before the inning ended.
Texas battled back in the early innings. Garcia hit a solo homer off Jose Urquidy in the second — his third career postseason blast, all this season — and Josh Jung cut the deficit to 2-1 with a sacrifice fly later in the frame.
Seager slugged a solo shot in the third for a 3-3 tie. He has two homers this postseason and 15 in his career.
Houston loaded the bases with one out in the fourth off Dane Dunning (1-1) before Alvarez greeted Cody Bradford with a sacrifice fly to give the Astros a 4-3 lead. Abreu came up next and ripped a 2-2 fastball into the second deck in left-center to make it a four-run margin. It was his fourth homer of this postseason and fifth of his career.
In the seventh, McCormick hit his two-run blast off Will Smith to make it 9-3. It was his first homer of this postseason and the third of his career.
Alvarez added a run-scoring single in the eighth.
Heaney recorded just two outs and gave up three runs, four hits and one walk. Dunning pitched the next 2 2/3 innings and allowed three runs, three hits and three walks. He struck out four.
Urquidy yielded three runs and five hits over 2 1/3 innings. He struck out one and walked one.
–Field Level Media