ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Houston Astros continued their recent dominance over the Texas Rangers on Thursday night, using a first-inning power surge and another strong outing from Spencer Arrighetti to secure a 5-1 victory at Globe Life Field.
The win gave Houston a 3-1 series victory and improved the Astros to 5-2 against Texas this season in the Silver Boot Series. Houston has now won six of its last seven games and remains firmly in control of the in-state rivalry.
The Rangers, meanwhile, continue to search for answers. Texas has dropped six of its last seven contests and fell to 25-31, matching its lowest point of the past two seasons at six games under .500.
Houston wasted little time taking control. Jeremy Peña opened the game with a towering leadoff home run into the second deck in left field, and Isaac Paredes followed later in the inning with a two-run shot near the left-field foul pole. The early barrage staked the Astros to a 3-0 lead before many fans had settled into their seats.
Nathan Eovaldi battled through a difficult opening frame and ultimately worked seven innings for Texas, but the veteran right-hander was tagged with his second consecutive loss. Eovaldi allowed five runs on four hits while striking out six. The Rangers are now 0-6 this season when he allows three or more runs.
Texas’ lone highlight came in the second inning when Josh Jung launched a 424-foot solo homer off the facing of the second deck in left field. The blast was the longest home run hit by a Ranger at Globe Life Field this season and continued Jung’s impressive production at home, where he has been one of Texas’ most consistent offensive contributors.
Arrighetti improved to 7-1 after limiting Texas to one run across six innings. The right-hander scattered three hits, worked around several baserunners, and continued a remarkable start to his season. In all eight of his starts this year, Arrighetti has pitched at least five innings while allowing two earned runs or fewer.
Houston added two more runs in the third inning to extend its lead and never allowed the Rangers to mount a serious comeback. The Astros belted 10 home runs during the four-game series, their highest total in any series this season.
Peña finished with two hits and extended his hitting streak to five games, while Paredes delivered his sixth homer of the year after entering the night hitless in the series.
Texas will attempt to halt its recent skid Friday night when it opens a three-game home series against Kansas City. The Rangers have lost seven straight series openers dating back to early May and will be looking to regain momentum before their season slips further off track.
