The Astros best starter this season has been a guy not deemed good enough to make the Opening Day roster.
Spencer Arrighetti (W, 7-1) picked up his 7th win in 8 starts with another terrific performance, limiting the Texas Rangers (25-31) to one run over 6 innings as the Houston Astros (26-32) took 3 of 4 games in Arlington with a 5-1 victory at Globe Life Field.
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Arrighetti allowed just 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6. His lone blemish was a solo HR allowed to Josh Jung.
Houston gave Arrighetti all the run support he would need before he even took the mound.
Jeremy Pena led off the game with a HR, his 2nd of the season, off Rangers SP Nathan Eovaldi (L, 5-6). Eovaldi then walked Yordan Alvarez before surrendering a 2-run HR to Isaac Paredes. Houston led 3-0 going into the bottom of the first. The 3 runs in the first off Eovaldi by Houston was more runs than they had scored off him in his last 4 starts against them (2 runs in 27.1 IP).
After Jung homered in the bottom of the 2nd, the Astros answered right back in the top of the third.
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Paredes drew a 2-out walk, then took second on a wild pitch. Taylor Trammell then ripped an RBI double, scoring Paredes to make it a 4-1 lead. Cam Smith then drove in Trammell with a single to center to make it a 5-1 game. Eovaldi was charged with 5 runs, 4 hits, 2 walks and 2 HR allowed in 7 innings. He struck out 6.
Houston used 4 relievers to get the final 9 outs, with Bryan Abreu working a 1-2-3 9th with a pair of strikeouts.
Pearson, Okert, De Los Santos and Abreu allowed only 1 hit and 2 walks in 3 innings, while striking out 5 as the bullpen got the job done again for Houston.
Houston has now won 9 of its last 13 games, and only allowed 13 total runs in those 9 wins. They went 7-3 on the road trip, and have won consecutive series for the first time this season.
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Houston took 3 of 4 from the Rangers in this series, and now has a 5-2 edge in the Silver Boot Series.
The Astros will now come back to Daikin Park and open a 3-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Pitching probables:
Fri: RHP Kai-Wei Teng vs. RHP Coleman Crow (Fri, 7:10 pm)
Sat: RHP Peter Lambert vs. RHP Brandon Sproat (Sat, 3:10 pm)
Sun: RHP Tatsuya Imai vs. RHP Jacob Misiorowski (Sun, 1:10 pm)
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