Astros 6, Rangers 5
W: Chapman (1-0)
L: Soria (1-1)
SV: Bass (2)
The future of the Astros is starting to take shape. Jared Cosart was strong on the hill Saturday, going seven innings and only giving up three runs on six hits. He was staked to a 5-2 lead going to the eighth, mostly on the back of Robbie Grossman’s three-run blast during a five-run fourth inning.
Albers was brought in for the eighth, and he gave up a run by walking Andrus and giving up a double to Alex Rios. Arrogance, hubris and stupidity combined to make Rios try to steal third with Fielder up, and he was promptly thrown out by Corporan. Two ground ball outs got him out of the inning.
Porter dialled up his lefty reliever for the ninth. Chapman appears to have some value going against lefthanded hitters, but wow is he a crap shoot facing righties. Choice greeted his batting-practice fastball with a 420′ blast to right-center.
A walk and a sac bunt brought Porter to the mound for a focus session. Mixing in two very hittable strikes with pitches that were nowhere near the plate, Chapman got a clutch strikeout of a talented Shin-Soo Choo to end the bottom of the ninth.
With one out in the top of the 10th, Castro lashed a shot to the RF corner, where it hit an angle and rolled away from Rios in right, enabling Castro to get to third. Altuve followed with a sac fly to deep right that scored pinch-runner Marwin Gonzalez with the winning run.
Bass took the mound in the bottom of the frame and gave up a liner by Andrus that Altuve misplayed into a single. Black Amish stole second, setting up the play of the night.
Go here, now, and watch this. Really.
Villar. He a bad man with leather.
Fielder was walked intentionally. Bass pounded the low strike zone to Kouzmanoff, trying to get a double play, but when Andrus stole third he pulled the string with a high slow curve that was unexpected and swung through for out #2. He teased Choice with a couple of pitches outside the zone, then got the overanxious hitter to offer on one away, resulting in a nubber to Carter for the final out.
It’s unlikely, but the Astros can take the series with a win today. At least this one snapped a 12-game losing streak to these yokels. It’s going to be fun, watching these smug cocksuckers on their inevitable slide down the hill. Stick those rally hats up your ass, you stupid claw and antler morons.