May 19, 2022 - Game 37
W - Framber Valdez (3-2)
L - Glenn Otto (1-2)
S - None
HR: None
Time of Game: 3:10
Game Recap
The Rangers took their four-game winning streak to the road Thursday. Texas began a four-game series against the first-place Houston Astros in Houston, where the team has gone twenty months without a win. Houston sent Framber Valdez to the mound, who recently had his way against Texas in his career. The Rangers, meantime, sent a Houston local kid, Glenn Otto, to the mound. Thursday was Otto's first career MLB game at Minute Maid Park, and he hadn't pitched at the park since 2016 with Rice.
The Rangers got a run early on a Corey Seager RBI single. It scored Eli White to start the game with a walk. However, Texas lost the lead shortly in the bottom of the first inning. Astros' Aledmys Diaz squeaked a ball down the third-base line scoring Jose Altuve. White, meantime, was able to throw out Alex Bregman at third base. After that, Kyle Tucker lifted a fly ball that Kole Calhoun couldn't get. The ball landed in front of him as Calhoun tried to dive. Diaz scored for Houston to put the Astros up 2-1. Texas got a break as José Siri broke to the plate on a single by Altuve in the second. He got caught in between and eventually ran down in the rundown. Both offenses sputtered after the opening inning. Each team had its chances throughout, but both teams combined to leave fourteen runners on base. The Astros went 3 for 9 with runners in scoring position, while Texas went 1 for 8. "I thought our at-bats were decent early," Woodward said. "From the second inning on our at-bats were not quite as crisp. I didn't feel like we were trying to underneath the ball as much as we could have."
The Astros had the bases loaded and two outs with Martín Maldonado at the plate. Houston manager Dusty Baker stayed with Maldonado instead of going with Yuli Gurriel on the bench and Martín delivered a three-run double after three walks, putting Houston up 5-1.
Glenn Otto had a hefty pitch count early but settled in nicely Thursday. Otto had one inning where he retired the side in order but limited the damage to the two runs throughout the night. In six innings, Glenn allowed seven hits, two runs, three walks, and two strikeouts. "Otto was phenomenal," Woodward said. "We knew we needed it. [He] had a rough first inning with the couple of runs. [Otto] got a little unlucky on some of those [hits], but at the same time settled down. We needed him to go six and he saved our bullpen."
Josh Sborz took over in the seventh inning and threw a scoreless frame despite a leadoff double by Altuve. At the end of the inning, the Rangers caught a break as Texas doubled off Altuve at second base on a Yordan Alvarez flyout. Though in the ninth, the command abandoned Sborz as he walked three Astros in the inning while recording only one out. Matt Moore struck out Siri, but allowed a three-run double (the runs charged to Sborz). "We were limited today, in fact, Matt Moore was not supposed to pitch," Woodward said regarding bringing Josh Sborz in the ninth inning.
Postgame Notes
Glenn Otto goes six innings for the first time in his MLB career. The last time Otto went six innings, at any level, was August 14th, 2021, with Round Rock against Oklahoma City.
The ninety-six pitches by Otto are the most thrown professionally. The most he threw in the minors or majors is ninety-four.
After Thursday's start, Framber Valdez has a 1.60 ERA (seven earned runs in 39.1 innings) against Texas since 2020.
Rangers have lost eleven straight in Houston and twenty-two of their last twenty-four.
Houston has won four straight against the Rangers. Texas dropped the final three in Arlington at the end of April and Thursday night's contest.
The single by Andy Ibáñez in the seventh broke a 1 for 33 slump.
Kyle Tucker has driven in a run in six of his last seven games against the Rangers.
Marcus Semien has hit safely in four of his last five games. Previously Semien has gone six hitless games.
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