The visiting Houston Astros blew an eight-run lead then rallied in the ninth inning on RBI doubles from Jose Abreu and Chas McCormick for a wild 12-11 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday at Arlington, Texas.
Houston won the four-game series 3-1 to pull within three games of the Rangers in the American League West race.
The Astros had a 10-2 lead going into the bottom of the fourth but found themselves trailing 11-10 in the ninth before Abreu and McCormick salvaged the day with their back-to-back doubles off Rangers closer Will Smith.
Abreu doubled off the left field wall as Kyle Tucker scored the game-tying run, then raced home on a double up the alley in left-center field by McCormick. McCormick delivered in the bottom of the ninth too, making a diving catch to rob a potential extra-base hit by the Rangers’ Josh Jung for the second out.
Astros closer Ryan Pressly ended the game by striking out Jonah Heim for his 18th save. Houston right-hander Bryan Abreu (3-2) earned the win, allowing an unearned run in the eighth.
Smith (1-3) took the loss with his second blown save of the season.
The Astros appeared headed toward a rout, grabbing a 6-0 lead in the second off Rangers starter Martin Perez. McCormick and Yainer Diaz opened the inning with back-to-back solo home runs, and then Tucker sent a grand slam over the right-center-field fence.
The Astros extended their lead to 10-2 with four more runs in the top of the fourth, including a three-run blast by Abreu for the 250th homer of his career. The Rangers then chipped away at the lead.
Travis Jankowski hit a three-run home run in the fourth, then added a two-run single in what became a four-run fifth inning as the Rangers pulled to within 10-9. Jankowski finished with a career-high five RBIs.
The Rangers tied the game at 10-10 on a solo home run by Adolis Garcia in the seventh and took advantage of an error by the Astros’ Alex Bregman to take an 11-10 lead in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Corey Seager.
The Astros’ ninth-inning rally gave them five victories in their last six games.
–Field Level Media
