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 Lewis delivered another exceptional outing at Minute Maid Park
while Odor recorded a pair of milestones in the Rangers' 4-0 win
Monday night.
Lewis (3-2) improved to 4-0 all-time in Houston, allowing seven hits
and two walks while striking out eight over 5 2/3 innings. Lewis
dropped his career ERA to 1.10 over six appearances (four starts) at
Minute Maid Park, the third lowest among active pitchers with at
least 25 innings pitched. He has 32 strikeouts over 32 2/3 innings
in Houston.
Less than a month removed from his first big league start in nearly
21 months, Lewis showcased supreme command of his slider and
fastball.
"I feel like I was able to flip the breaking ball in for strikes,
and when the breaking ball is sharp, you can rip on it a little bit
more and try to get a couple more outs with it," Lewis said. "That's
kind of what you want as a starting pitcher. You want to have at
least three of the four working for you and when you have four of
the four pitches working for you, it makes for an easier night."
Right-handers Nick Martinez and Joakim Soria, along with southpaw
Neal Cotts, helped preserve the shutout for the Rangers (20-19).
Texas pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts as Houston (12-27)
finished 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12
baserunners total.
"You look at the difference and it's the ability to hit with men in
scoring position and getting into situations where we have an
opportunity to put a runner across by putting the ball in play,"
Astros manager Bo Porter said. "You strike (out) 14 times, and the
other team only has to defend the baseball 13 times, that's a recipe
for not having a good offensive night."
The Astros managed at least one baserunner per inning against Lewis
through five, yet aside from the first, when center fielder Dexter
Fowler reached on a one-out triple to right, failed to mount a
serious threat.
Lewis stranded Fowler by striking out catcher Jason Castro and
inducing a groundout from third baseman Matt Dominguez. He worked
around a two-out double by designated hitter Chris Carter in the
second, a pair of walks in the third, and singles by first baseman
Marc Krauss and second baseman Jose Altuve in the fourth and fifth
innings.
He did so by striking out the side in the second and fanning two
batters in the fourth and fifth. Catcher Robinson Chirinos chipped
in by gunning down two would-be base-stealers: Altuve in the first
and Fowler in the third.
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Astros right-hander Brad Peacock (0-4) was almost as sharp, fanning
Chirinos swinging for the second out of the sixth. However, Odor
followed with his first career home run, an upper-deck shot to right
field for the Rangers' second dinger. Third baseman Adrian Beltre
cranked a two-run shot off Peacock in the third.
"The one to Beltre, I kind of hung it a little bit," said Peacock,
who finished with a career-high 11 strikeouts while allowing four
runs on eight hits and two walks over six innings. "He got me. He's
a good hitter. I can't make those mistakes to him."
Odor gave Texas a 3-0 lead with his run-scoring single in the
fourth, his first career RBI. His solo shot bumped the lead to 4-0.
Odor finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs after entering the game batting
.167 since having his contract purchased from Double-A Frisco on May
8.
"It feels really good because I got a chance to help my team out, to
win the game," Odor said. "I'm really content with that."
NOTES: Texas' Shin-Soo Choo made his eighth start as designated
hitter primarily to give LF Mitch Moreland a start in the field.
Moreland entered Monday batting .394 (13-for-33) over his last 14
games, yet he started just eight of those contests. ... Astros RHP
Matt Albers hit a snag in his rehab for right shoulder tendinitis,
which landed him on the 15-day disabled list April 22. Albers
skipped his scheduled simulated game last Friday after experiencing
continued discomfort. ... Rangers INF Josh Wilson accepted an
outright assignment to Triple-A Round Rock. Wilson was designated
for assignment May 8.
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