Kyle Tucker capped a five-run third inning with a three-run home run and the Houston Astros sent the visiting Texas Rangers to their 10th consecutive loss with a 7-3 victory on Friday.
Tucker fouled off six consecutive pitches from Rangers left-hander Kolby Allard (2-8) before bashing a 91.6-MPH four-seam fastball out to right-center field. Tucker’s 18th home run followed an RBI single from Yordan Alvarez and a run-scoring groundout by Carlos Correa. Tucker’s bomb plated Yuli Gurriel and Correa to extend the Houston lead to 5-0.
The Astros tacked on two additional runs off Allard in the fourth. Gurriel pushed Houston to a 7-0 lead with his league-leading 11th sacrifice fly after Robel Garcia scored on a Michael Brantley fielder’s choice.
Allard allowed seven runs on seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts over four innings, and fell to 1-8 as a starter while suffering a sixth consecutive loss.
Texas last dropped 10 consecutive games during the 1995 season.
Astros right-hander Jake Odorizzi cruised through his first four innings of work, facing just two batters over the minimum while tossing 56 pitches. Yet, despite carrying a seven-run lead into the fifth and striking out the first two batters of that frame — David Dahl and Curtis Terry for his third and fourth strikeout in succession — Odorizzi did not last long enough to earn the victory.
He suddenly came undone, giving up a double to Rangers third baseman Brock Holt and followed by walking Andy Ibanez. Isiah Kiner-Falefa added an RBI single before Nathaniel Lowe drilled a 3-1 fastball 403 feet to center for a two-run triple.
Odorizzi departed with Lowe at third base and his lead sliced to four runs after having allowed three hits and one walk over a four-batter stretch. He threw 30 pitches in the fifth inning and capped his ledger with three runs on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings.
Astros reliever Brandon Bielak (3-3) got the final out of the fifth and allowed one hit and recorded one strikeout over 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
–Field Level Media