Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers Slam Door Shut on Astros
Marcus Semien capped a seventh-inning uprising with a grand slam, as the Texas Rangers dominated the defending champion Houston Astros 9-1 before a national audience on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.
The American League West-leading Rangers (9-6) also won the series by taking the rubber match at Minute Maid Park on manager Bruce Bochy’s 68th birthday. Texas has claimed three of its five series this season.
The Rangers finally got to Houston ace Framber Valdez in the seventh, loading the bases with none out thanks to two hits and an error. Jonah Heim broke the scoreless tie by working a walk to force home Nathaniel Lowe.
Robbie Grossman snapped a hitless streak of 22 at-bats with a single to left to score Adolis García and chase Valdez. Semien, up with two outs and the bases still jammed, deposited a splitter from reliever Hector Neris into the left-field seats for a 6-0 lead.
Semien’s seventh career grand slam traveled 365 feet and extended his hitting streak at Minute Maid Park to 16 games. The Rangers hadn’t hit a grand slam in Houston since Hank Blalock and Mark Teixeira both did so on July 4, 2004.
Rangers starter Andrew Heaney didn’t factor into the decision, but did more than enough to put his team in position to win. Heaney didn’t give up a run over five innings, allowed just two hits and struck out four.
The lefty found a little trouble in both the fourth and fifth, but left Astros stranded at third in each inning.
Houston (7-9) did challenge right after the Texas surge, as reliever Brock Burke walked two and allowed a hit to load the bases with none out in the bottom of the seventh. Jonathan Hernandez struck out two before another walk got the Astros on the board.
Bochy, ejected in Saturday’s 8-2 loss, called on former Houston reliever Will Smith, who ended the threat by getting the dangerous Yordan Alvarez to ground out weakly to third baseman Josh Jung.
Burke (1-0) picked up his first win of the year.
Texas tacked on three more runs in the eighth, as Leody Taveras provided the big blow with a two-run double. Houston fans subsequently went streaming to the exits.
The Rangers remain on the road, beginning a three-game series Monday at the Kansas City Royals. Texas ace Jacob deGrom (1-0. 4.32) makes his fourth start opposite Kansas City’s Jordan Lyles (0-2, 5.19).
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