The Houston Astros closed out the first half with a bullpen collapse in the ninth inning, falling 6-5 to the Texas Rangers in a walk-off loss Sunday at Globe Life Field. The defeat dropped Houston to 47-51, left the club three games behind the first-place Rangers in the American League West heading into the All-Star break, and also cost the Astros the Silver Boot Series.
Closer Josh Hader entered a tied game in the ninth and could not hold it. Wyatt Langford led off with a single, and Josh Jung followed with one of his own before Brandon Nimmo ended it, chopping a ball that glanced off Hader and found a gap in the drawn-in infield to bring Langford home. Hader had faced 57 hitters this season and given up only three hits before that inning, making it a rare stumble for the closer.
The Astros had briefly grabbed the lead in the eighth on a solo home run from Cam Smith, but Texas answered right back. Kyle Higashioka, batting ninth for the Rangers, drove a pitch from Bryan King out to left field to tie it at 5-5 and set up the ninth-inning finish. It was the first homer King had allowed to a right-handed batter all season, and the third time in as many days that Texas had taken him deep. King had already navigated a jam in the seventh, working out of a bases-loaded situation to keep the score tied at 4-4 before coming back out for a second inning of work in the eighth.
Houston had tied the game in the top of the seventh after trailing 4-1. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases, the free pass going to pinch-hitter Yainer Diaz, who had taken just five others in 172 trips to the plate this year. Jeremy Peña lifted a fly ball to left-center that settled in short of the wall, deep enough to score a run as a sacrifice fly. Texas then intentionally walked Yordan Alvarez to get to the right-handed-hitting Isaac Paredes, and the move backfired when Paredes lined a two-run single on a full-count fastball from reliever Peyton Gray to even the score.
Cristian Javier had given Houston little chance to build a bigger cushion earlier. Making his first start since returning from a shoulder strain, Javier lasted just three innings, with Texas doing its damage in the second on a walk, a double from Evan Carter, an RBI single from Nicky Lopez and a two-run double from Joc Pederson that got past a diving Taylor Trammell in center field. Manager Joe Espada had signaled caution with Javier’s workload beforehand, saying, “We’re going to monitor him closely.” Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore, working on short rest after a rough prior outing, surrendered nothing over four innings apart from Jose Altuve’s solo home run before handing a 3-1 lead to Texas’ bullpen.
Houston also lost center fielder Brice Matthews to a left knee injury in the second inning after he crashed into the wall pursuing Jung’s first-inning triple. Trammell replaced him and took over in center for the rest of the game.
The Astros picked up some encouraging news on the injury front away from Arlington. Ronel Blanco went 4⅓ scoreless innings in a rehab outing for Triple-A Sugar Land, putting himself in position for activation from the injured list, while Hayden Wesneski struck out seven over 4⅔ innings in his own rehab appearance Saturday, though he’ll need at least one more outing before he’s ready to rejoin the staff. Espada indicated both moves are part of a larger set of pitching decisions the Astros are weighing heading into the second half.
The Astros return from the All-Star break Friday when they open a three-game home series against the Baltimore Orioles at Daikin Park. Houston won’t meet Texas again until July 31-August 2, when the rivals resume the Silver Boot battle in Houston.
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