The Houston Astros continued their recent surge Wednesday night, edging the Texas Rangers 4-3 at Globe Life Field behind another monster performance from Yordan Alvarez.
In a game that felt tense from the opening inning to the final out, Alvarez once again proved to be the difference-maker. The Houston slugger launched two home runs and reached base four times, helping the Astros secure their fifth win in the last six games while tightening their grip on the season series against Texas.
The Rangers struck first for the second straight night. Brandon Nimmo lined an RBI single into right field in the opening frame to give Texas an early 1-0 lead, continuing a trend that has typically favored the club this season. But Houston answered quickly in the second when Braden Shewmake lifted a sacrifice fly to even the score.
Texas starter Jacob deGrom delivered another strong outing despite not factoring into the decision. The veteran right-hander worked six innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out six. His fastball reached 99.2 mph, and he generated plenty of swing-and-miss stuff throughout the night. The only major damage against him came in the fourth inning when Alvarez crushed a solo homer into the seats to put Houston ahead temporarily.
Joc Pederson responded in a big way for Texas.
The designated hitter continued his recent hot streak by homering in consecutive games for the first time as a Ranger. His towering 423-foot blast in the third inning tied the game, and he later added another solo shot in the eighth to briefly pull Texas even again. The multi-homer performance marked the 21st such game of Pederson’s major league career and continued a productive stretch that has significantly boosted his offensive numbers over the last two weeks.
Houston, however, answered immediately in the top of the eighth.
After Tyler Alexander entered in relief, Alvarez delivered the decisive blow with another solo homer, his second of the night and fifth of the series. The left-handed slugger has tormented Rangers pitching throughout the matchup, batting .381 against Texas this season with six home runs in six games.
Alexander was charged with the loss after allowing the go-ahead run and committing a throwing error that helped Houston tack on an additional insurance run.
Astros starter Mike Burrows settled in after a shaky first inning and turned in one of his best performances of the season. The right-hander completed seven innings, allowing two runs while limiting Texas hitters to almost nothing after Pederson’s first homer. Burrows earned his third win of the year and continued Houston’s recent stretch of quality starting pitching.
The loss dropped Texas to 25-30 on the season and five games below .500, matching its low point of the year. The Rangers have now lost five of their last six games during a difficult stretch against division opponents.
Houston improved to 4-2 against Texas in the 2026 Silver Boot Series and guaranteed at least a split in the four-game set heading into Thursday’s finale.
The Rangers also dealt with an injury concern during the game after shortstop Ezequiel Duran exited in the fifth inning because of illness.
