HOUSTON — The Texas Rangers let a mid-game lead slip away in a 6-3 loss to the Houston Astros on Monday night, opening a crucial three-game set with a missed opportunity.
Josh Jung’s two-run homer and Josh Smith’s RBI single in the fifth gave Texas a 3-2 edge, but the momentum quickly flipped when Astros rookie Zach Cole launched a two-run shot off Jack Leiter to put Houston back on top.
Cole, a late replacement for the injured Yordan Alvarez, drove in three runs as Houston pulled away with two more in the seventh. Leiter (9-9) allowed six runs — three earned — over 6 2/3 innings.
Texas had a chance to tie it in the seventh, but Jonah Heim was thrown out at the plate on a Wyatt Langford single.
The loss pushes the Rangers three games back in the Wild Card race and drops them further behind in the AL West.
