Rangers 4, Astros 1
Adrian Beltre homered and drove in a pair of runs and four Texas pitchers limited Houston to four hits in their intrastate series opener.
The Rangers took a two-run lead in the top of the third on a Beltre sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Nelson Cruz. Jed Lowrie singled home a run in the bottom of the inning to get Houston on the board, but Texas rebuilt its two-run lead in the fifth on Michael Young’s RBI double and tacked on another run in the seventh when Beltre drilled a two-out solo homer.
Texas starter Neftali Feliz held the Astros to one run on three hits but he was lifted after just 4 2/3 innings, having thrown 101 pitches. Feliz struck out six but handed out five walks.
Robbie Ross (5-0) worked 2 1/3 innings of one-hit relief before turning the ball over to Koji Uehara and Joe Nathan for the final two innings. Nathan tossed a 1-2-3 inning for his ninth save.
Wandy Rodriguez (3-4) took the loss for Houston, yielding three runs and a season-high 10 hits in six innings. He finished with four strikeouts and two walks.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Nathan pitched for the fourth time in four days. ... Ian Kinsler had three hits for the Rangers. ... Texas is 19-6 in its last 25 Friday games.