SB Nation Houston: All Posts by Alex Cohnhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46691/houston-fave.png2011-07-04T10:28:04-05:00https://houston.sbnation.com/authors/alex-cohn/rss2011-07-04T10:28:04-05:002011-07-04T10:28:04-05:00Astros Hope For Better Fortunes Against Pirates
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<p>(Sports Network) - Hard-luck lefty Paul Maholm tries to get a step closer to .500 today when the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Houston Astros in the holiday opener of a three-game series at PNC Park.</p>
<p>Maholm, 12 games below the break-even mark in his career entering this season, was 1-7 for 2011 following a 2-0 loss to Detroit on May 22. He's won three of five decisions across seven starts since, while paring his earned run average from 3.65 to 3.17.</p>
<p>The former first-round draft pick has allowed three earned runs or less and pitched six innings or more in six of his last 10 starts overall, including a complete-game shutout of the Chicago Cubs on May 28 at Wrigley Field.</p>
<p>He's won 10 of 16 career decisions against the Astros with a 3.31 ERA in 18 starts.</p>
<p>On Sunday in Washington, Lyle Overbay went 3-for-4 with three RBI and Kevin Correia cruised to his 11th win of the season, as the Pirates earned an easy 10-2 victory over the Washington Nationals in the finale of a four-game series.</p>
<p>Garrett Jones, Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker each added two RBI for the Pirates, who have split their last eight games.</p>
<p>Correia (11-6) allowed just two runs on six hits and a walk over six innings while fanning six.</p>
<p>For the Astros, durable righty Brett Myers tries to continue a recent stretch of good fortune.</p>
<p>The Jacksonville, Fla. native pitched six innings or more in 32 of 33 starts last season while winning 14 games, but had just two wins in 14 starts this year before June 17, when he pitched the full nine innings in a 7-3 defeat of the Los Angeles Dodgers.</p>
<p>Myers' allowed just seven earned runs in his last three starts overall, giving up 16 hits over 22 innings while cutting his ERA by more than half a run from 5.03 to 4.60.</p>
<p>He is 6-4 lifetime against the Pirates in 12 appearances.</p>
<p>On Sunday in Houston, Kevin Youkilis' bases-loaded walk in the top of the ninth forced in the deciding run as Boston clipped the Astros, 2-1, in the finale of a three-game interleague set.</p>
<p>Brett Wallace posted two hits and Angel Sanchez knocked in the lone run for the Astros, who have lost 11 out of their last 13.</p>
<p>Mark Melancon (5-2) walked three in the ninth and took the loss.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh is 5-1 against the Astros this season.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2011/7/4/2337459/astros-hope-for-better-fortunes-against-piratesAlex Cohn2011-07-04T10:28:04-05:002011-07-04T10:28:04-05:00Astros Hope For Better Fortunes Against Pirates
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<img alt="HOUSTON - JUNE 29: Pitcher Brett Myers #39 of the Houston Astros throws against the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park on June 29, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/N28iEVXNTWQQUxdEuSBflhIqXmw=/0x150:599x549/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/3186027/117648555.jpg" />
<figcaption>HOUSTON - JUNE 29: Pitcher Brett Myers #39 of the Houston Astros throws against the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park on June 29, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) | Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>SBN Houstion's coverage of the Pirates Astros series from July 4th-7th</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2011/7/4/2258256/astros-hope-for-better-fortunes-against-piratesAlex Cohn2011-06-30T22:12:12-05:002011-06-30T22:12:12-05:00Rodriguez Works Seven Scoreless Innings, Astros Salvage 7-0 Win
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<p>Houston, TX (Sports Network) – <span>Jason Michaels</span> went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and three <span class="caps">RBI</span>, helping the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Houston Astros</a> post a 7-0 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a> and avoid being swept in the finale of a three-game interleague set at Minute Maid Park.</p>
<p>Houston starter <span>Wandy Rodriguez</span> (6-4) worked seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits — all singles — while fanning four and walking three. David Carpenter, <span>Fernando Abad</span> and <span>Mark Melancon</span> worked the final two innings in perfect fashion to seal the four-hitter.</p>
<p>Carlos Lee added a home run and <span>Clint Barmes</span> collected three hits for the Astros, who snapped a five-game losing streak and an eight-game slide at home.</p>
<p><span>Elvis Andrus</span> had a pair of hits, while <span>Michael Young</span> and <span>David Murphy</span> added the others for the Rangers, who had won the first two games of the series after scoring a combined 10 runs.</p>
<p><span>Matt Harrison</span> (6-7) went six innings in defeat, yielding five runs on seven hits while striking out two and walking a pair.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/30/2253663/rodriguez-works-seven-scoreless-innings-to-halt-rangersAlex Cohn2011-06-30T10:21:43-05:002011-06-30T10:21:43-05:00Astros Looks To Avoid Sixth Straight Loss
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<p>(Sports Network) – The Silver Boot trophy has already once again slipped out of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a>’ grasp, but they have more pressing matters to deal with now.</p>
<p>Houston is on its longest home losing streak in 45 years and will try to end that drought tonight in the finale of a three-game series with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a>.</p>
<p>The Silver Boot is awarded annually to the victor in each interleague matchup between the Astros and Rangers each season. Texas has taken the first two contests of this series to claim the honor for a fifth straight time and is now 14-3 versus Houston since the start of the 2009 campaign.</p>
<p>The Rangers’ 3-2 victory last night was their eighth in a row at Houston and the Astros’ eighth straight setback overall at Minute Maid Park. That marks their longest home slide since a franchise-record 11 straight defeats from July 23-Aug. 17, 1966 at the Astrodome.</p>
<p>Carlos Lee hit a solo homer and <span>Clint Barmes</span> added an <span class="caps">RBI</span> single, but Houston lost its season high-tying fifth straight game and for the eighth time in its last nine overall. <span>Brett Myers</span> pitched seven innings, giving up three runs to take the loss. He gave up a homer to <span>Ian Kinsler</span> to begin the game and the Rangers second baseman later got him for another solo homer in the third.</p>
<p>“I made a mistake and they came out swinging the bats,” Myers said of his performance. “I just had to make an adjustment. I was able to do that for the most part and tried to keep us in the game the best I could.”</p>
<p>Kinsler is hitting just .180 on the road this season, but has four hits, three homers and five <span class="caps">RBI</span> over the first two games of this series. His two homers, as well as <span>Adrian Beltre</span>’s <span class="caps">RBI</span> single in the first inning, helped make a winner out of <span>Colby Lewis</span>, who yielded two runs over 6 2/3 innings.</p>
<p>“I just needed a good game honestly, it doesn’t matter where,” Kinsler said. “I just wanted to be able to help the team win. Colby did a great job tonight, and to put those two runs on the board early helped him out.”</p>
<p>Texas had lost three of four before arriving in Houston and leads the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Los Angeles Angels</a> by 1 1/2 games for first place in the American League West. It turns tonight to <span>Matt Harrison</span>, who has pitched to a 1.43 earned run average over his past six starts.</p>
<p>Harrison has allowed just one earned run in each of last three outings, but picked up his first victory in that span on Friday versus the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a>. The left- hander turned in seven innings in an 8-1 victory, improving to 6-6 with a 3.00 earned run average in 14 starts.</p>
<p>Harrison has faced the Astros three times in his career, including once as a starter, and has posted a 3.38 <span class="caps">ERA</span> without a decision. However, the 25-year- old is 2-0 with a 0.83 <span class="caps">ERA</span> in three interleague starts this season.</p>
<p><span>Wandy Rodriguez</span> counters for the Astros and he had won three straight starts and four decisions in a row prior to a setback to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a> on Friday.</p>
<p>The southpaw had yielded just two runs over his previous four outings and was coming off back-to-back scoreless outings, spanning 12 innings, before getting drilled for five runs on six hits and two walks over six innings against Tampa Bay.</p>
<p>Rodriguez, 32, fell to 5-4 with a 3.21 <span class="caps">ERA</span> in 13 starts this season and is 3-2 with a 6.49 <span class="caps">ERA</span> in five career games against the Rangers.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/30/2252344/houston-looks-to-avoid-sixth-straight-lossAlex Cohn2011-06-29T10:57:54-05:002011-06-29T10:57:54-05:00Myers Set To Square Off With Lewis, Rangers
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<p>(Sports Network) – The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a> try to continue their mastery of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Houston Astros</a> this evening when the Lone Star State rivals resume a three- game set at Minute Maid Park.</p>
<p>The Rangers have won four straight Silver Boot trophies, awarded annually to the victor in the interleague matchup between the two clubs each year. It hasn’t been much of a rivalry, though, lately, as Texas took two of three from the Astros earlier in the year and has won the season series in each of the last two years by a 5-1 margin, while compiling a 13-3 mark against their in- state rivals since the start of the 2009 campaign.</p>
<p>Texas, which has also won seven in a row in Houston, moved one step closer to locking up the trophy on Tuesday, as <span>Ian Kinsler</span> went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a triple to lead the Rangers to a 7-3 win.</p>
<p><span>Josh Hamilton</span> and <span>Mitch Moreland</span> also blasted solo home runs while <span>Yorvit Torrealba</span> added an <span class="caps">RBI</span> double for the Rangers, who have won six of their past 10 contests overall.</p>
<p><span>C.J. Wilson</span> (8-3) worked seven strong innings to earn the win, giving up a pair of runs on seven hits while fanning three and walking two. In addition to his work on the mound, Wilson also ripped a triple.</p>
<p><span>Michael Bourn</span> had a pair of hits, including a triple, for the Astros, who have lost four games in a row and seven of their last eight. Houston has also lost seven in a row at home and another loss tonight would give the Astros their first eight-game skid there since a franchise-record 11-game slide July 23- Aug. 17, 1966.</p>
<p><span>Jordan Lyles</span> (0-3) worked six innings in defeat for Houston, giving up five runs on 10 hits.</p>
<p>“It just didn’t fall my way tonight,” Lyles said. “I don’t know what the ball- strike ratio was tonight, but it couldn’t have been good.”</p>
<p>Getting the call for the Rangers tonight will be righty <span>Colby Lewis</span>, who is 6-7 with a 4.44 <span class="caps">ERA</span>. Lewis was terrific last Wednesday against the Astros, scattering three hits over seven scoreless innings. He didn’t get a decision in that 5-3 loss, though.</p>
<p>Lewis has faced the Astros six times (three starts) and is 1-1 with a 1.78 <span class="caps">ERA</span>.</p>
<p>Houston, meanwhile, will rely on veteran <span>Brett Myers</span>, who also received a no- decision against Lewis and the Rangers his last time out. Myers gave up two runs and six hits in six innings of that one. He is 3-6 on the year with a 4.65 <span class="caps">ERA</span>.</p>
<p>Myers has yet to receive a decision in two starts versus the Rangers, but has pitched to a lofty 7.88 <span class="caps">ERA</span> in those outings.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/29/2250436/myers-to-square-off-with-lewis-rangersAlex Cohn2011-06-29T10:57:48-05:002011-06-29T10:57:48-05:00Myers To Square Off With Lewis, Rangers
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<p>(Sports Network) – The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a> try to continue their mastery of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Houston Astros</a> this evening when the Lone Star State rivals resume a three- game set at Minute Maid Park.</p>
<p>The Rangers have won four straight Silver Boot trophies, awarded annually to the victor in the interleague matchup between the two clubs each year. It hasn’t been much of a rivalry, though, lately, as Texas took two of three from the Astros earlier in the year and has won the season series in each of the last two years by a 5-1 margin, while compiling a 13-3 mark against their in- state rivals since the start of the 2009 campaign.</p>
<p>Texas, which has also won seven in a row in Houston, moved one step closer to locking up the trophy on Tuesday, as <span>Ian Kinsler</span> went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a triple to lead the Rangers to a 7-3 win.</p>
<p><span>Josh Hamilton</span> and <span>Mitch Moreland</span> also blasted solo home runs while <span>Yorvit Torrealba</span> added an <span class="caps">RBI</span> double for the Rangers, who have won six of their past 10 contests overall.</p>
<p><span>C.J. Wilson</span> (8-3) worked seven strong innings to earn the win, giving up a pair of runs on seven hits while fanning three and walking two. In addition to his work on the mound, Wilson also ripped a triple.</p>
<p><span>Michael Bourn</span> had a pair of hits, including a triple, for the Astros, who have lost four games in a row and seven of their last eight. Houston has also lost seven in a row at home and another loss tonight would give the Astros their first eight-game skid there since a franchise-record 11-game slide July 23- Aug. 17, 1966.</p>
<p><span>Jordan Lyles</span> (0-3) worked six innings in defeat for Houston, giving up five runs on 10 hits.</p>
<p>“It just didn’t fall my way tonight,” Lyles said. “I don’t know what the ball- strike ratio was tonight, but it couldn’t have been good.”</p>
<p>Getting the call for the Rangers tonight will be righty <span>Colby Lewis</span>, who is 6-7 with a 4.44 <span class="caps">ERA</span>. Lewis was terrific last Wednesday against the Astros, scattering three hits over seven scoreless innings. He didn’t get a decision in that 5-3 loss, though.</p>
<p>Lewis has faced the Astros six times (three starts) and is 1-1 with a 1.78 <span class="caps">ERA</span>.</p>
<p>Houston, meanwhile, will rely on veteran <span>Brett Myers</span>, who also received a no- decision against Lewis and the Rangers his last time out. Myers gave up two runs and six hits in six innings of that one. He is 3-6 on the year with a 4.65 <span class="caps">ERA</span>.</p>
<p>Myers has yet to receive a decision in two starts versus the Rangers, but has pitched to a lofty 7.88 <span class="caps">ERA</span> in those outings.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/29/2250434/myers-to-square-off-with-lewis-rangersAlex Cohn2011-06-28T22:24:54-05:002011-06-28T22:24:54-05:00Losing Streak Hits Four Games As C.J. Wilson Downs Astros
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<p>Houston, TX (Sports Network) – <span>Ian Kinsler</span> went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a triple to lead the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a> to a 7-3 win over their intrastate rival <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Houston Astros</a> in the opener of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.</p>
<p><span>Josh Hamilton</span> and <span>Mitch Moreland</span> both blasted solo home runs while <span>Yorvit Torrealba</span> added an <span class="caps">RBI</span> double for the Rangers, who have won six of their past 10 contests.</p>
<p><span>C.J. Wilson</span> (8-3) worked seven strong innings to earn the win, giving up a pair of runs on seven hits while fanning three and walking two. In addition to his work on the mound, Wilson also ripped a triple. He’s 4-0 over his last seven starts and hasn’t lost since May 20 at Philadelphia.</p>
<p><span>Michael Bourn</span> had a pair of hits, including a triple, for the Astros, who saw their losing streak extended to four games.</p>
<p><span>Jordan Lyles</span> (0-3) worked six innings in defeat for Houston, giving up five runs on 10 hits.</p>
<p><span>Neftali Feliz</span> came on with two outs in the ninth to pick up his 15th save of the season.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/28/2249660/losing-streak-hits-four-games-as-c-j-wilson-downs-astrosAlex Cohn2011-06-23T01:25:45-05:002011-06-23T01:25:45-05:00Astros Go To Work On Neftali Perez, Mount Comeback Win
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<p>Arlington, TX (Sports Network) – Pinch-hitter <span>Matt Downs</span> capped a four-run ninth inning with a tie-breaking two-run home run to lead the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Houston Astros</a> past the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a>, 5-3, in the finale of a three-game interleague set.</p>
<p>Carlos Lee and <span>Chris Johnson</span> had doubles while <span>Jason Michaels</span> added a pair of hits for the Astros, who snapped a three-game losing streak.</p>
<p><span>Mark Melancon</span> (5-1) worked two innings of relief to pick up the win for Houston.</p>
<p><span>Neftali Feliz</span> (0-1) gave up four runs on four hits to record his fourth blown save and absorb the loss for the Rangers.</p>
<p>Nelson Cruz crushed a homer while <span>Michael Young</span> added an <span class="caps">RBI</span> double for Texas.</p>
<p>After entering the ninth trailing 3-1, Houston battled back to take the lead, plating four runs against Feliz. Lee led off the inning with a bang, belting a double down the left field line and Johnson followed two batters later with a double to almost the exact same spot to score Lee. Michaels’ infield single put runners on the corners for pinch-hitter Downs, who clubbed a 3-1 fastball deep into the seats in left to give the Astros a 5-3 lead.</p>
<p>“We fight every night, no matter if we’re down five or we’re down one,” Downs said of his team’s resiliency. “We always put rallies up in the ninth, sometimes we do it, sometimes we fall short.”</p>
<p>Texas opened the scoring in its first at-bat. <span>Ian Kinsler</span> led off the inning with a sharp single to center, stole second, advanced to third on a <span>Josh Hamilton</span> groundout and scored on a wild pitch by <span>Brett Myers</span> to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.</p>
<p>The Rangers extended their lead to 2-0 in the fifth on Cruz’s lead-off blast to left, his 17th home run of the season.</p>
<p>Houston cut its deficit in half in the eighth. Pinch-hitter <span>Angel Sanchez</span> stroked a single to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch by reliever <span>Dave Bush</span>. <span>Michael Bourn</span> singled to put runners on the corners with no outs and <span>Jason Bourgeois</span> stepped up next, grounding into a 6-4-3 double-play to plate Sanchez.</p>
<p>Texas extended its lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the frame on an <span class="caps">RBI</span> double by Young.</p>
<p>“It stinks that we didn’t win,” Rangers starter <span>Colby Lewis</span> said. “The main thing is that we all show up to win. We had an opportunity and we let it slip away.”</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/23/2238797/astros-go-to-work-on-neftali-perez-mount-comeback-winAlex Cohn2011-06-22T10:19:51-05:002011-06-22T10:19:51-05:00Myers Looks To Right Ship Against Colby Lewis, Rangers
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<p>(Sports Network) – The American League West-leading <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a> have dominated the intrastate rival <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Houston Astros</a> lately and will shoot for a three-game series sweep tonight from the Ballpark in Arlington.</p>
<p>The Rangers have won 12 of the last 14 meetings with Houston, including the first two portions of this series, and last swept a three-game set at home against the Astros from May 20-22, 2005. After an 8-3 triumph in the series opener on Monday, the Rangers inched by Houston, 5-4, in 11 innings last night on <span>Mitch Moreland</span>’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the frame.</p>
<p>Texas belted four home runs in the game, as <span>Josh Hamilton</span>, <span>Michael Young</span> and Nelson Cruz each got into the long-ball act. Young had three hits and both Hamilton and <span>Taylor Teagarden</span> recorded two apiece for the Rangers, who are two games ahead of Seattle for the AL West lead and have won four of five since a five-game slide.</p>
<p>Moreland’s homer made a winner out of <span>Yoshinori Tateyama</span>, who tossed a scoreless top of the 11th, while Rangers starter <span>C.J. Wilson</span> was reached for four runs and 11 hits in 6 2/3 innings for the no-decision.</p>
<p>“I was happy to be able to come through and do it,” Moreland said. “It was a lot of fun, but it’s good to get the series out of the way for us.”</p>
<p>The Rangers rank among the best in the majors with 82 homers this season and will take on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">New York Mets</a> for three games after this set.</p>
<p>Hamilton, meanwhile, continues to light up National League pitching and is batting .480 with six homers and 21 <span class="caps">RBI</span> in his last 17 games against the Senior Circuit. The reigning AL <span class="caps">MVP</span> has hit safely in his last 16 home games in interleague play, batting .435 with four home runs and 12 <span class="caps">RBI</span> in that span.</p>
<p>Young has hit safely in eight consecutive games, registering a .353 batting average in that stretch.</p>
<p>Making his 15th start of the season for the Rangers tonight will be <span>Colby Lewis</span>, who ended a two-game slide his previous time out in a 6-2 victory at Atlanta on Friday. Lewis struck out 10 batters over 6 2/3 innings in which he allowed two runs and five hits.</p>
<p>Lewis is 2-3 over his past five decisions and owns a 6-7 mark in 14 overall starts to go along with a 4.80 <span class="caps">ERA</span>. The right-hander is 2-3 in six home starts this season and will face the Astros for the sixth time in his career. He is 1-1 with a 2.45 <span class="caps">ERA</span> in five games (two starts) against Houston, and 3-2 with a 2.60 <span class="caps">ERA</span> in five starts against the NL over the past two seasons.</p>
<p>Houston has dropped three in a row and 14 of its last 18 games, and wasted a solid outing from rookie starter <span>Jordan Lyles</span> last night. Lyles allowed three runs over seven innings with six strikeouts and two walks for the Astros, who are a major league-worst 27-48 on the season and 27-35 all-time against Texas.</p>
<p>“No one wants to lose, guys are going out there trying their best to get guys out,” Lyles said. “Sometimes it just doesn’t fall the way you want it to.”</p>
<p>Astros reliever <span>Enerio Del Rosario</span> struck out three over 2 1/3 innings, but allowed Moreland’s home run in the bottom of the 11th to suffer the loss.</p>
<p><span>Michael Bourn</span> and <span>Jeff Keppinger</span> both had three hits and two <span class="caps">RBI</span> for the Astros, with Bourn also scoring twice. <span>Jason Bourgeois</span> tallied three hits and a run scored in a losing effort.</p>
<p>Keppinger is riding a nine-game hitting streak for a Houston club that was hoping to get outfielder <span>Hunter Pence</span> back in the lineup.</p>
<p>Pence injured his left elbow on a slide into first base during a 7-3 win at Los Angeles on Friday and was examined by Dr. Tom Mehlhoff. An <span class="caps">MRI</span> revealed a sprain, but no tears or ligament damage for Pence, whose range of motion has improved since the weekend and is one of the major league leaders with 181 hits since the 2010 All-Star break.</p>
<p>The Fort Worth, Texas native is batting .321 with nine homers and 51 <span class="caps">RBI</span> this season and said he feels good about coming back, though he’ll likely sit out again tonight.</p>
<p>“It’s just not ready to swing,” Pence said of the elbow. “It’s close, very close, but I’m not ready. There’s really no way other to say I can’t really swing. Until I can, I don’t know how you can really play. I’m going to wait until it’s ready so I can play. [Then] I’m going to play hard and play good.”</p>
<p>After visiting the Rangers tonight, the Astros will return to Minute Maid Park for a nine-game homestand versus Tampa Bay, Texas and Boston.</p>
<p><span>Brett Myers</span> has lasted at least 5 2/3 innings in all of his starts this season and will get the nod for Houston this evening. Myers recorded the club’s first complete game of the season Friday in a 7-3 win at Los Angeles, as he allowed three runs — two earned — and four hits with six strikeouts and one walk.</p>
<p>Myers retired 17 straight batters at one point to lift his mark to 3-6 with a 4.75 earned run average in 15 starts in 2011.</p>
<p>The right-hander is 2-2 in eight home starts this season and will take on Texas for only the second time in his career. Myers luckily did not figure into the decision of an 8-7 loss at the Rangers back on June 27, 2008, while then a member of Philadelphia. He was rocked for five runs and five hits in only two innings of work.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/22/2237183/myers-looks-to-right-ship-againstAlex Cohn2011-06-21T22:40:47-05:002011-06-21T22:40:47-05:00Moreland's Long Ball Caps Rangers Comeback
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<p>Arlington, TX (Sports Network) - <span>Mitch Moreland</span> hit Enerio Del Rosario's first pitch into the upper deck in right field in the bottom of the 11th, lifting the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a> to a 5-4 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a>.</p>
<p>Del Rosario (0-2) had held Texas off the scoreboard for 2 1/3 innings, but delivered a flat pitch belt-high and over the inside part of the plate. Moreland turned on the ball with a quick, powerful swing and sent it soaring deep over the fence, a no-doubt winner.</p>
<p>"I was happy to be able to come through and do it," Moreland said. "It was a lot of fun, but it's good to get the series out of the way for us."</p>
<p><span>Josh Hamilton</span> smacked a game-tying homer in the eighth and made a nice defensive play in the 11th for the Rangers, who rallied from a two-run deficit to win for the fourth time in five games.</p>
<p><span>Michael Bourn</span> and <span>Jeff Keppinger</span> both had three hits and two RBI for the Astros, who have dropped six of eight.</p>
<p>Most of the game's scoring occurred in the early innings. Bourn doubled and scored on Keppinger's base hit in the first, and Texas' <span>Michael Young</span> began the second inning with a home run to right.</p>
<p>In the third, consecutive doubles by <span>Jason Bourgeois</span> and Bourn plated another Astros run. Keppinger singled home Bourn again to make it a 3-1 game, though the Rangers got one of those runs back in the fourth on a blast by Nelson Cruz.</p>
<p>Texas starter <span>C.J. Wilson</span> reached the seventh without allowing another run, but gave up singles to <span>Clint Barmes</span>, Bourgeois and Bourn. Bourn's hit was deflected by Moreland, the first baseman, allowing Barmes to score and forcing a pitching change. <span>Mark Lowe</span> came in to get the final out.</p>
<p>Wilson allowed a total of 11 hits in his 6 2/3 innings, and struck out four.</p>
<p>Like Wilson, Astros starter <span>Jordan Lyles</span> settled down before running into more trouble in the seventh. After <span>Taylor Teagarden</span> singled, <span>Endy Chavez</span> tripled over right fielder Bourgeois' head to pull the Rangers within 4-3.</p>
<p>"No one wants to lose, guys are going out there trying their best to get guys out," Lyles said. "Sometimes it just doesn't fall the way you want it to."</p>
<p>They tied the game in the following inning, when Hamilton led off by drilling <span>Sergio Escalona</span>'s 90 mph fastball over the right field fence.</p>
<p>Texas' bullpen then gave the offense multiple chances to win the game by keeping Houston off the scoreboard. <span>Neftali Feliz</span> threw two scoreless innings before <span>Yoshinori Tateyama</span> (1-0) tossed a shutout 11th.</p>
<p>He walked <span>Chris Johnson</span> with one out but got some help from Hamilton, who slid to catch <span>Brett Wallace</span>'s sinking liner in left field.</p>
<p>Game Notes</p>
<p>Moreland recorded the first walkoff hit of his career...Cruz was hit in the right forearm in the eighth inning, but stayed in the game...Young ended with three hits for the Rangers...Bourn stole two bases to increase his MLB-leading total to 32.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/21/2236551/morelands-long-ball-caps-rangers-comebackAlex Cohn