Adolis Garcia slugged two home runs and the Texas Rangers used a five-run seventh inning to erase what was once a three-run deficit in an 8-4 win over the visiting Houston Astros on Saturday.
Garcia bashed leadoff home runs in the fifth and seventh innings, upping his season total to 14. Garcia, who went 2-for-5 with two RBIs after posting a multi-hit, five-RBI game in the series opener, pulled the Rangers even at 4-4 with his blast off Astros reliever Andre Scrubb (1-1) in the seventh.
Texas capitalized on the Astros’ scuffling bullpen, tacking on four additional runs against right-hander Enoli Paredes, who allowed one hit and issued two walks. Paredes threw 27 pitches and just 13 strikes while laboring to record the final two outs of the seventh, and the Rangers took advantage of a pair of errors to tally three unearned runs in the breakout frame.
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Paredes’ fielding error enabled Isiah Kiner-Falefa to reach before Jose Trevino delivered a two-run double that lifted Texas to a 6-4 lead. Astros third baseman Alex Bregman’s two-out throwing error allowed Brock Holt and Trevino to score to cap the rally.
The Astros forged a 3-0 lead against Texas right-hander Jordan Lyles courtesy of a run-scoring groundout by Yordan Alvarez and a sacrifice fly from Yuli Gurriel in their two-run first inning. Chas McCormick added a solo home run in the second before Lyles settled down to surrender four runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts over six innings.
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Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. labored mightily yet completed five innings and departed in line to earn what would have been just his second win against Texas in 11 starts.
McCullers issued two walks and recorded four strikeouts in a 40-pitch first inning but left the bases loaded.
But Kiner-Falefa pulled Texas to within 3-2 with his two-run double that came with two strikes and two outs in the third. Garcia drilled the first pitch of the fifth 427 feet to left-center field to get Texas within 4-3.
McCullers allowed three runs on six hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in five innings.
–Field Level Media