Astros rally falls short against Rangers, 2-1 ... Rookie Nick Martinez made the Opening Day roster as the Rangers fifth starter, but he was only expected to fill in briefly while Yu Darvish was on the disabled list for a start or two. No one could have expected Martinez, who had made only four starts at the Double-A level before this year, would wind up making more starts than Darvish in 2014. Martinezs 23rd start of the season -- the second-most on the club - in Tuesday nights 2-1 win over the Astros may have been his best so far, earning his second consecutive win with 6 2/3 shutout innings. The 23-year-old right-hander earned more praise from interim manager Tim Bogar, who has watched Martinez evolve from a novice to a dependable member of the rotation in a matter of months. Over his previous four starts, Martinez had a 2.74 ERA (seven earned runs in 23 innings) despite hovering around the 5.00 mark for the season. He was as sharp as he has been lately against the Astros, striking out five and scattering five hits while walking none. Martinez credited some of his aggressiveness to a recent visit with Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, who serves a special assistant for the Rangers. Martinez said Maddux told him not to worry about throwing his out pitch early in the count to create early contact, and just focus on getting ahead. Martinez said he has learned a tremendous amount this season. Thanks to Martinezs outing and solid relief work from fellow rookie Spencer Patton and veteran Neal Cotts, the Rangers didnt need much offense. All it took was a two-run fourth inning courtesy of Robinson Chirinos solo homer and Daniel Robertsons RBI single. Cotts yielded a run in the ninth on Matt Dominguezs sacrifice fly, which scored Dexter Fowler, who drew a one-out walk before Jake Marisnicks double to right put runners on second and third. Cotts escaped the jam by retiring Jonathan Villar on a groundout to third to strand Marisnick, who was the potential tying run at second. The Rangers left two men on base in each of the first three innings against Astros starter Brett Oberholtzer. They broke through in the fourth when Chirinos led off with a 405-foot homer to center for his 12th blast of the season. The Rangers collected 12 hits in all, including three apiece from Adrian Beltre and Jake Smolinski, along with two from Ryan Rua. Texas has won 10 of its last 11 games, an impressive feat for any team but even more remarkable for a club that was recently on pace to lose more than 100 games. The win also clinched a fourth consecutive series victory. NOTES: *With Altuve leading the league batting race by nine points going into Tuesdays play, Lawless said hell let Altuve decide how much he plays the rest of the season. Altuve has started all but five games. Lawless said he might give Altuve the last two games off if he has clinched the title by then. *Rookie 1B Jon Singleton struck out twice, dropping his batting average to .168 with 133 strikeouts, and should be in Wednesday nights lineup. Lawless said he wants Singleton to finish the year on a positive note and probably wont have a chance to play much over the weekend against the New York Mets since DH Chris Carter will move to first base. *Astros RHP Josh Fields (general soreness) and LHP Darin Downs (oblique) remain day to day. Fields last pitched on Sept. 9, Downs on Sept. 19. *Rangers 2B Jurickson Profar (shoulder) has been shut down for the third time since aggravating a 2010 injury during spring training. General manager Jon Daniels said Profar will undergo physical therapy and rehab work with the hope of being able to throw around early January. *Astros RHP Scott Feldman (8-11) will start Wednesday nights series finale. Feldman has recorded sixth consecutive quality starts. Rangers RHP Lisalverto Bonilla (2-0) will try to become the first Rangers pitcher to win his first three career starts since Alexi Ogando in April 2011. Bonilla took a no-hitter into the fifth inning of his most recent start. Below: Robinson Chirinos #61 of the Texas Rangers celebrates after hitting a home run during a game against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Texas Rangers defeated the Houston Astros 2-1. Brett Oberholtzer #39 of the Houston Astros walks to the dugout against the Texas Rangers. The Texas Rangers defeated the Houston Astros 2-1. Nick Martinez #22 of the Texas Rangers pitches against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros throws for an out at first during the first inning against the Texas Rangers. Adrian Beltre #29 of the Texas Rangers hits a single during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Park.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 05:55:15 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015