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 "Our ball club was as focused, as determined, as locked in as we
could be for a four-game set," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said.
"Especially for where we were."
Down 1 1/2 games in the standings when the series began Monday, the
Rangers now lead the division by 2 1/2 games. Texas (79-67) hadn't
been alone in first place this season until Tuesday, while Houston
(77-70) held or shared the top spot for 139 days before the Rangers
took over.
"Houston is a great team," Rangers right fielder Shin-Soo Choo said.
"Their pitching's good, their hitting's good, a lot of energy, a lot
of young talent. But I think we have more experience than Houston.
We know how to play big games. ... That's what we showed the last
four games."
Choo was 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs Thursday, and
Texas first baseman Mitch Moreland continued his torrid series with
a three-run homer that gave him six RBIs in the series. Moreland hit
a crucial two-run shot in Monday's series opener and drove in the
game-winning run with a walk-off sacrifice fly in the second game.
Rangers starter Colby Lewis (16-8) added to his career high for
victories after allowing two earned runs on seven hits in six
innings. Astros starter Lance McCullers (5-6) shouldered the loss
after yielding three earned runs on five hits and three walks in six
innings.
Moreland put the Rangers ahead in the third inning with a two-out,
three-run homer off McCullers, tying designated hitter Prince
Fielder for the team lead with 21 this season. Moreland's
opposite-field homer gave him eight RBIs in his last six games.
The Astros got two runs back in the fourth after Jed Lowrie singled
with two outs and designated hitter Evan Gattis hit a slicing but
potentially catchable fly ball that went over left fielder Mike
Napoli's head for an RBI double. The Astros tacked on another run on
a Luis Valbuena single that scored Gattis.
The Rangers added two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth.
"The bottom line is we just got outplayed," Astros manager A.J.
Hinch said. "They found different ways to win games and executed
pretty flawlessly."
With 16 games left for the Rangers and 15 for the Astros --
including a three-game series between the two teams in Houston --
the division race remains far from settled despite Texas'
turnaround.
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"Chasing a pennant is never easy," Banister said. "It takes supreme
focus, it's not looking up, you can't exhale. You can celebrate the
win tonight, go to sleep and get back up in the morning ready to do
it all over again because you can never look back."
The Rangers have won 12 of 16 games against the Astros this year,
including seven in a row. They outscored the Astros 45-17 during the
four-game sweep and are in total control of their destiny now in the
AL West race.
Meanwhile, the Astros need to correct things quickly at home after a
2-8 road trip if they want to stay within striking distance.
"These games are already in the books," Astros manager A.J. Hinch
said of the Texas series. "We'll need to make adjustments at home
and find ways to win. ... We'll see them in a week at our place and
we've got plenty of baseball left."
NOTES: Mike Napoli, who had never played outfield in his
professional career before Sunday, started in left field for the
Rangers for the first time against a right-handed pitcher on
Thursday. Manager Jeff Banister originally said Napoli would only
play left against lefties. ... The Astros activated C Jason Castro
from the disabled list and batted him ninth in the lineup. Castro
missed 16 games with a strained right quad. ... Houston 3B Jed
Lowrie returned to the lineup for the first time since he left
Monday's game after fouling a ball off a foot. ... The Rangers
honored longtime Astros broadcaster Milo Hamilton, who died Thursday
at 88, with a moment of silence before Thursday night's game. ...
Rangers SS Elvis Andrus struck out in the second inning to end a
career-high streak of 55 plate appearances without a strikeout.
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