September 6, 2022 - Game 135
W - Taylor Hearn (6-7)
L - Framber Valdez (14-5)
S- José Leclerc (3)
HR: HOU: Altuve (24)
Time of Game: 3:23
Rangers Cowboy Hat Winner: Ezequiel Duran (4th)
Game Recap
Tuesday was game two of the three-game set in Houston. Like last week, the Rangers squared off against Framber Valdez, who's going for his ninth straight quality start against the Rangers. "We need to have fun and embrace the at-bats against Valdez," Tony Beasley said before the game. "Be up for the challenge. What do we have to lose? The guy has pretty much owned us all year. Go up and embrace it and have fun with your at-bats. Be ready for any pitch that looks like it's a mistake, and try not to miss it. He will give you some pitches to hit; you just got to not miss those pitches. He won't give you many." Glenn Otto took the hill in his third game in Houston this season. In his two previous starts, Otto has had two-run performances in both.
The Rangers struck first in the second inning. Ezequiel Duran doubled home Mark Mathias and Leody Taveras to put Texas up 2-0. Then Sam Huff reached on an infield single where Duran scored on an error by Jose Altuve. It was an off-balanced throw that Yuli Gurriel couldn't pick in the dirt, allowing Zeke to score. However, Houston got a run back in the bottom half of the inning on Gurriel's RBI groundout scoring Kyle Tucker. Tucker reached on catcher's interference, moved to second on a passed ball by Sam Huff, stole third base, and scored on the groundout. In the third, Altuve homered that barely scraped over the wall as Adolis García nearly made a phenomenal catch (there was a fan interference review, and the umpire made no call). In the fourth, with runners on the corners, Chas McCormick hit into a force-out, scoring Tucker and evening the contest at three. "I think [Framber] made a few more mistakes than he normally does, and we were ready for it and attack him early," Corey Seager told me after the game. "Other than that, we capitalize on some mistakes."
Things got quiet until the seventh inning. First, Corey Seager reached on the third Astros error of the night. Texas then stole two bases in the inning, leading to a Framber Valdez wild pitch. The wild pitch was Valdez's second of the night as Seager scored the go-ahead run. Houston tried to answer with two on due to a single and a walk, but Tucker's fly ball ended the Astros threat with no damage. Marcus Semien led off the ninth with a double, but was caught stealing at third base. In the ninth, the Astros had the tying run at second base, but a popout and groundout ended the game and the Rangers snapped the skid at nine games. "It's always tough when you lose nine games in a row," Ezequiel Duran said. "It doesn't matter who we play, as long as the results are us winning the game, that's the most important part of it," Duran added when I asked him if it meant more coming against the Astros. "It's good to get that behind us," Tony Beasley said after the game with the skid over.
Tony Beasley said before the game that the Rangers needed a good start from Glenn Otto. While Tuesday wasn't an awful outing, it didn't quite get the length the Rangers hoped. Otto only lasted four innings on eighty pitches. He allowed three runs (two earned) with one walk, five hits, and five strikeouts. "I felt okay, "Don't think I did a good job at getting ahead. It's what we've talking about all year, trying to be efficient as possible and [I] threw a lot of pitches [and] a lot of deep counts.
Taylor Hearn allowed singles to two of the first three Hearn faced. After that, he retired five straight, keeping the game even at three and allowing the Rangers' offense to take the lead. Jesús Tinoco faced four hitters in his outing, but couldn't get out of the seventh as he allowed a hit and a walk. Matt Moore came in to clean up the seventh and get Tucker to fly out. It was a clean eighth for Moore with two strikeouts and a groundout. José Leclerc walked Altuve as he went to second base, but Leclerc shut the door down to save the game.
Postgame Notes
The three runs scored in the second inning broke a string of eighteen straight scoreless innings by the Rangers' offense. The last runs were scored in the first inning on Sunday at Boston.
Glenn Otto's four innings are the shortest since July 1st at the Mets. Tuesday was Otto's fourth start of four innings or less (twenty-two starts). Last year, Otto had three starts of four innings or less (six starts).
The last time Framber Valdez allowed four runs was July 11th, 2019. It was also the first time Valdez allowed four runs to the Rangers as a starter. Because two runs were unearned, Framber Valdez's quality start streak extended to nine against the Rangers.
The Rangers win their fifth games vs. Houston in eighteen tries. It's their fifth win in Houston in their last thirty-three games.
Kyle Tucker is 22 for 63 this season against the Rangers (.344), with eleven runs scored in eighteen games.
Ezequiel Duran is 3 for 8 in his career vs. Framber Valdez with 3 RBI. Two of the three driven in came on Tuesday.
The Astros committed three errors on Tuesday. The most errors by the Astros came on April 17th at Seattle when the team committed four.
The Rangers struck out fifteen times despite the victory Tuesday
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