Astros beat Rangers 4-2 to tighten AL West race
Houston Astros
HOUSTON (FOX 26) - The Houston Astros finished strong in their last game of the season at Minute Maid Park beating the Texas Rangers 4-2 -- still sporting the best home record in the American League.
Pitcher Dallas Keuchel improved to 15-0 at home this season as the Astros make up ground in the tight division race -- now 2.5 games behind the Rangers for the division lead.
With just six games to go in a resurgent season for the Astros, the team is clinging to a half game lead in the Wild Card race over the Angels.
But after taking 2 out of 3 over the Rangers, some fans are thinking even bigger.
The Astros now head to Seattle for the next-to-last season series.
Keuchel (19-8) struck out 10, giving up just one run and two hits in seven innings. The lefty retired 15 straight batters after walking Elvis Andrus in the second inning.
Luke Gregerson threw a perfect ninth for his 29th save.
Martin Perez (3-6) allowed two runs — both unearned — and five hits in six innings.
Keuchel has allowed two runs over his last two starts after giving up nine in 4 2-3 innings against Texas on Sept. 16.
Keuchel set a team record for most strikeouts by a left-hander in a season when he fanned Mike Napoli in the first. Keuchel has 213 this year; Mike Cuellar fanned 203 in 1967.
Jake Marisnick gave Houston the lead with a two-out, two-run double in the second. A two-out error by shortstop Elvis Andrus set up Marisnick.
Chris Carter had two hits and greeted Ross Ohlendorf with a solo home run to left to up Houston's lead to 3-1.
Pinch-runner Carlos Gomez stole second and later scored on a passed ball in the eighth to extend the Astros' lead to 4-2.
Prince Fielder put the Rangers up 1-0 in the first with an RBI groundout.
Rougned Odor opened the Texas eighth with a triple off Oliver Perez and scored two batters later on Delino DeShields' grounder, making it 3-2.
Perez retired 11 straight from the second until the sixth, snapped by Carlos Correa's single with one out in the sixth. He rebounded after allowing five runs in four innings in his last start against Oakland.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: Gomez, who had missed the last two weeks with a left intercostal strain, took more aggressive swings Sunday and will work out on the field before Houston's game Monday in Seattle, manager A.J. Hinch said. "We hope that early in the next series he can test it out in a game," Hinch said.
UP NEXT
Rangers: RHP Colby Lewis (17-8) takes the mound Monday as Texas starts a three-game series against Detroit. He has won his last three starts and needs four innings to pass 200 innings for the season.
Astros: RHP Lance McCullers (5-7) starts the first game of the three-game series at Seattle on Monday. He is winless in his last seven starts dating back to July 29 and is 0-2 with a 3.24 ERA in four September outings.