ASTROS END 'L' STREAK IN STYLE
Pummel Rangers; Castro Drives in 4
ARLINGTON, Tex., Apr. 12 (AP) - The Houston Astros finally halted their
season-opening losing streak, pounding the Texas Rangers 9-1 at Globe Life
Park. The Astros had opened the season with 11 consecutive losses.
Jason Castro drove home four runs on a pair of hits, including a home run.
Starter Jarred Cosart becomes the first Houston pitcher to record a victory for
the Astros this year, tossing six innings of one-run ball.
Houston erased all doubt about the outcome of the game in the first two
innings. Facing Rangers starter Tanner Scheppers, Dexter Fowler and Alex
Presley opened the contest by drawing consecutive walks and a wild pitch
advanced them to second and third. Castro then unloaded on a 2-0 Schepper
fastball, lining it over the right field wall for a 3-0 Astros lead.
In the top of the second, Houston seized firm control of the game.
Jonathan Villar drew a lead-off free pass and stole second. Fowler then
drilled a base hit to right-center, scoring Villar to make it 4-0.
Presley's single to left put runners on first and second and Castro's base hit
to right-center plated Fowler, giving the Astros a 5-0 lead, and chasing Presley
to third. That was it for Scheppers; he was replaced by Hector Noesi.
Jose Altuve's sacrifice fly scored Presley to up the ante to six runs.
Chris Carter flied out but Carlos Corporan walked, as did Matt Dominguez,
loading the bases. Noesi then issued his third straight base on balls,
this one to Robbie Grossman, to force in the game's seventh run. Villar,
hitting for the second time in the inning, grounded out to finally end the
frame.
At this point, the game's outcome was effectively decided. The Rangers got
their only run of the game when Kevin Kouzmanoff led off the fourth with a home
run off Cosart, but Houston countered with a solo tally in the sixth when Carter
drew a one-out walk and later scored on Dominguez's base hit.
The Astros capped the scoring in the eighth when Dominguez drove home Altuve
with a single.
Texas pitchers--there were seven of them in this contest--set a new to-date
season mark for futility by issuing 12 walks, two more than any other team has
surrendered in a single game thus far this year.
4/12/2014, Hou14-Tex14, Globe Life Park 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 2014 Astros 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 9 10 0 12 2 2014 Rangers 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 2 9 1 Astros AB R H BI AVG Rangers AB R H BI AVG Fowler cf 5 2 3 1 .344 Choo lf 4 0 1 0 .163 Presley rf 3 2 1 0 .176 Andrus ss 4 0 1 0 .261 Hoes ph 2 0 0 0 .125 Rios rf 4 0 3 0 .256 Castro,J dh 6 2 2 4 .200 Fielder 1b 4 0 0 0 .225 Altuve 2b 2 1 1 1 .422 Kouzmanoff 3b 3 1 2 1 .429 Carter 1b 2 1 0 0 .225 Moreland dh 4 0 1 0 .353 Corporan c 3 0 1 0 .077 Murphy,Do 2b 4 0 0 0 .136 Dominguez,M 3b 4 0 2 2 .311 Martin,L cf 3 0 0 0 .176 Grossman lf 3 0 0 1 .184 Arencibia c 3 0 0 0 .130 Villar ss 4 1 0 0 .214 Adduci ph 1 0 1 0 .400 34 9 10 9 34 1 9 1 Astros INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Cosart W 1-1 6.0 6 1 1 3 4 92 53 5.51 Clemens H 1 2.0 2 0 0 0 1 38 25 0.00 Albers 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 13 9 4.50 9.0 9 1 1 3 6 143 87 Rangers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Scheppers L 0-2 1.0 5 7 7 3 3 49 26 9.90 Noesi 1.2 0 0 0 4 1 41 22 3.38 Ogando 1.1 0 0 0 2 1 23 9 3.38 Figueroa,P 2.0 2 1 0 1 2 30 20 1.59 Cotts 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 6 6 0.00 Frasor 1.0 1 1 1 2 3 26 13 1.69 Soria 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 13 10 0.00 9.0 10 9 8 12 11 188 106 Hou: Hoes batted for Presley in the 7th Hoes moved to lf in the 7th Grossman moved to rf in the 7th Tex: Adduci batted for Arencibia in the 9th E-Andrus, Arencibia. 2B-Fowler(3), Kouzmanoff(2), Adduci(1). HR-Castro,J(3), Kouzmanoff(1). RBI-Fowler(3), Castro,J 4(9), Altuve(6), Dominguez,M 2(6), Grossman(2), Kouzmanoff(2). SB-Altuve(2), Villar(1). K-Presley, Castro,J 3, Carter, Corporan 2, Dominguez,M, Grossman 2, Hoes, Moreland 2, Murphy,Do 2, Martin,L, Arencibia. BB-Fowler, Presley, Altuve 2, Carter 3, Corporan, Dominguez,M, Grossman 2, Villar, Choo, Kouzmanoff, Martin,L. SF-Altuve. HBP-Corporan. PB-Arencibia. HB-Scheppers. WP-Scheppers, Ogando. GWRBI: Castro,J Temperature: 71, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: out to left at 5 MPH. Attendance: 40,042 Game Time: 3:12