Rangers 5, Astros 4
Rangers 5, Astros 4: Alex Rios hit a game-tying triple and scored the go-ahead run in his Texas debut as the Rangers ran their winning streak in Houston to seven games.
Acquired Friday from the Chicago White Sox, Rios went 2-for-3 with the biggest blow coming in the eighth, when he lined a triple past diving center fielder Brandon Barnes to plate the tying run. Mitch Moreland followed with a chopper to second baseman Jose Altuve, who made a perfect throw to the plate, but Rios' slide jarred the ball loose from catcher Jason Castro.
Elvis Andrus hit a two-run homer - his first in 453 at-bats this season - and A.J. Pierzynski also went deep for the Rangers, who have won six straight and 11 of 12 to take a one-game lead over Oakland in the American League West. Andrus had struck out three times and made an error at shortstop before redeeming himself with a blast to left to tie it at 3-3 in the seventh.
Chris Carter hit his 20th home run for the Astros, who have lost four straight and eight of nine. Houston seized a 4-3 lead when Barnes scored on a wild pitch from Jason Frasor (3-2) in the seventh, but Rios sparked the Rangers' rally against Lucas Harrell (5-13) in the next half-inning.
Both starters recorded quality starts, as Houston rookie Brad Peacock allowed one run on three hits over six innings and Texas' Derek Holland gave up three runs on six hits over six frames. Joakim Soria worked out of trouble in the eighth to get the ball to Joe Nathan, who worked around a one-out walk in the ninth for his 34th save.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Castro went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games. … Texas 3B Adrian Beltre went 0-for-3 to end his seven-game hitting streak. … Carter, who entered the game in a 1-for-18 slump with 10 strikeouts over that span, went 2-for-3 with a walk for his first multi-hit game since July 3.