Photo Courtesy: Dominic Ceraldi
The Texas Rangers needed to win their series against the Houston Astros to be in first in the A.L West for the first time in 2015 and that’s exactly what they did. They did it in the best they could and that’s by sweeping the Astros. By sweeping Houston, the Rangers are now 2.5 games ahead of Houston. With less than 20 games remaining in the regular season, the Rangers have a lot of momentum.
Cole Hamels pitched for the Rangers in Game 1. In seven innings, Hamels allowed seven hits, surrendered three runs, and struck out three batters. The offense finished with a total of eight hits and were struck out a combined five times. The Rangers took the win with a score of 5-3 thanks to a two-run home run by Prince Fielder in the eighth inning, and were then just a half game behind the first place position.
Derek Holland took the mound for the Rangers in Game 2. Holland had a short night, and pitched just 5.2 innings, and finished his short start allowing ten hits, surrendering five runs, and striking out just one batter. The Rangers offense had a great performance and finished with a total of 14 hits, and a combined seven strikeouts. The Rangers had a 4-0 lead after the first inning, but allowed the Astros to score three in the second, and two more in the fourth that caused the Rangers to trail by one run. However, in the bottom of the fourth, the Rangers responded and tied the game. But the miracle came at the bottom of the ninth when Mitch Moreland hit a sacrifice fly to center that allowed the Rangers to score, winning the game 6-5, putting the Rangers in first place for the first time this season.
Game 3 was an important one for the Rangers. They needed to win to take a game and a half division lead of Houston. With Martin Perez taking the mound for the Rangers in Game 3, it was up to him to keep the Rangers in first place. And that’s just what Perez did. In seven innings, Perez allowed nine hits, surrendered one run, and struck out three batters. The offense recorded a total of 16 hits and were struck out a combined six times. After taking 6-0 lead in the first, which included a three-run home run by Mike Napoli and a two-run home run by Rougned Odor, the Rangers made sure that they not give up first place after just claiming it the night before. The Rangers took the victory with a commanding score of 14 to 3.
Colby Lewis was on the mound for Game 4. In six innings, Lewis allowed seven runs, surrendered two runs, and struck out three batters, and earned his second consecutive win. The Rangers offense finished with a total of ten hits and were struck out a combined nine hits. After Mitch Moreland hit a three-run home run in the third inning, it looked as if the Rangers were going to sail through the game, but when the Astros cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth, it didn’t seem like it’d be an easy win. After adding two more runs in seventh, the Rangers had officially taken over. Adding three more runs in the eighth, the Rangers sealed the win, and completed their mission to take first place and sweep the Houston Astros. The Rangers won Game 4 with a score of 8-2 winning their fifth straight game, while handing the Astros their fourth straight loss. The most important thing is that this win put the Rangers ahead 2.5 games over the Astros.
At one point, the Rangers were one of the worse teams in the league with a 7-14 record. Critics said it would be another long and rough season, and there was no way that they would be in the playoff picture. But fast forward to near the end of the regular season and the Rangers are in first place. They’ve spent the entire season climbing and climbing to reach first place, and many times they’ve slipped behind, but they would not give up. No matter how far they were from first place, the Rangers refused to go away. The Rangers will begin a three-game series at home against the Seattle Mariners on Friday. The Rangers have a lot of momentum, but will need to stay focused and continue to win their upcoming series. Game 1 is tonight, and Yovani Gallardo will take the mound for the Rangers.
Upcoming Schedule – All Times CT
9/18 vs Mariners 7:05 pm
9/19 vs Mariners 7:05 pm
9/20 vs Mariners 2:05 pm
