Rangers 7, Astros 1
HOUSTON -- Wandy Rodriguez allowed a solo home run in the first inning, pitching out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, and then shut down the Houston Astros over his final six innings to lead the Texas Rangers to a 7-1 victory Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park.
The Rangers (10-16) recorded consecutive wins for the first time this season thanks in large part to Rodriguez, a spring training castoff of the Atlanta Braves. Rodriguez (1-1) was signed to a minor league contract by Texas following his April 3 release, and he made his third start of the season Tuesday.
He had little trouble with the Astros (18-9), for whom Rodriguez spent his first 14 seasons as a professional. Spotted a 4-0 lead before he took the mound, Rodriguez allowed a one-out homer to third baseman Luis Valbuena in the first and hit a rough patch an inning later.
After allowing a single to shortstop Marwin Gonzalez and a double to catcher Jason Castro, Rodriguez walked left fielder Robbie Grossman to load the bases with two outs. Astros second baseman Jose Altuve sent a screaming line drive just foul down the line in left, and Rodriguez recovered to induce a harmless grounder back to the mound.
Grossman represented the Astros' final baserunner. Rodriguez retired the final 19 batters he faced, and he wound up allowing three hits and one walk over eight strong innings. He struck out eight and threw 104 pitches, 71 for strikes.
Texas first baseman Kyle Blanks finished 3-for-4 with two runs, and shortstop Elvis Andrus added two hits and two runs.
The Astros lost by more than one run for the first time since a 6-3 setback to the Los Angeles Angels on April 17.
Houston right-hander Scott Feldman (2-3) allowed six runs on nine hits and one walk with two strikeouts over three innings. It marked his shortest outing of the season and the most earned runs he allowed since the Oakland Athletics roughed him up for seven earned runs in an 8-1 decision April 13.
Having survived a rough first inning in his previous start, Feldman wasn't quite as resilient when the first three Rangers reached base in the top of the first.
Designated hitter Prince Fielder delivered the first of two two-run hits for Texas in the frame, driving home right fielder Shin-Soo Choo and Andrus with an opposite-field double to left field. Three batters later, left fielder Carlos Peguero added a two-run homer to right, his first on the season, scoring Blanks for a 2-0 lead.
Seven Texas batters came to the plate against Feldman in the third. Third baseman Adrian Beltre recorded the Rangers' fourth extra-base hit, a run-scoring double to left that scored Andrus and bumped the lead to 5-1. Center Carlos Corporan added a sacrifice fly that scored Beltre and essentially spelled the end for Feldman.
NOTES: Rangers CF Leonys Martin sat out and remains day-to-day after spraining his left wrist in the fifth inning Monday. ... Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred will meet with players from the Rangers and Astros on Wednesday during his visit to Minute Maid Park. Manfred, in his first year as commissioner, is in the midst of visiting players and officials from all 30 clubs. ... The Astros held an optional batting practice Tuesday -- a decision made in advance by manager A.J. Hinch with the club in the midst of playing games on 17 consecutive days. The Astros' next off day will come Monday after a four-game road series against the Angels.