The Astros needed two wins to clinch their tenth straight Silver Boot Series against the Rangers, but that's still two wins away after Friday night. Wyatt Langford became the hero for the Rangers, absolutely crushing a two-pitch offering from reliever Bryan King in the eighth inning, breaking open a deadlocked 3-3 game. Just like that, the Rangers were up, and King would allow a total of four runs in what can only be described as a dreadful outing.
Is Hunter Brown Even Right Anymore?
Forget King for a second, because the real concern in Houston has to be Hunter Brown. This dude just isn't right, and the evidence is mounting up. We're talking a 23-pitch opening inning! Plus, he's issuing lead-off walks again and again. This was the "ace" who was third in Cy Young voting last year, a guy who was dominant. Now? He's struggling with his mechanics, just can't attack the zone. In the fourth inning, he even ditched his wind-up completely, delivering from the stretch to multiple batters. This was his fifth start since coming back from that shoulder strain, and you have to wonder if the dominant pitcher we saw will ever truly return this season. His final line: 6 innings, 4 hits, 3 earned runs, 5 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Those five walks? That tied a career high. That's rough, man.Eighth Inning Hammer Drops On Houston
The Rangers jumped on the board first, putting up a pair of runs in the opening frame. Brandon Nimmo laced a double that scored Wyatt Langford, and Josh Jung crossed home plate right after. Joc Pederson then smacked a solo homer off Brown in the fifth, making it 3-0. That was his fourth time leaving the yard against Astros pitching this season! But the Astros fought back. Yordan Alvarez finally got Houston on the board in the sixth with his 200th career home run, a monster 455-foot shot to center field, making it 3-1. That's seven homers he's hit against the Rangers this season alone! Yainer Diaz then brought home LaMonte Wade Jr. in the very next inning with his sixth bomb of the year, tying things up 3-3. But then the eighth inning hit, and after Langford's go-ahead shot, Jake Burger followed up with his 16th blast of the season. Game over, 7-3 Rangers. The Astros have now dropped 50 games on the season, and this loss marks their third in four games on this current road trip. Jeremy Pena did return from the IL and reached safely in his first at-bat, which is a small silver lining, and Alvarez's homer was his longest of the year. Saturday night, Peter Lambert takes the mound for the Astros with a 7-5 record, going up against Kumar Rocker, who's still chasing just his third win of the season. First pitch is set for 6:05 CDT. Gotta see how they respond after this one.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.