Rangers Rally To Complete Astros Sweep
ARLINGTON (AP) - Ian Kinsler had a three-run triple and Adrian Beltre hit a two-run homer in a seven-run sixth inning, lifting the Texas Rangers to a 9-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Colby Lewis (6-5) gave up three hits and walked one while striking out 10 in seven innings to win his second straight decision. The Rangers won for the fifth time in six games after limping into June and losing six of 10 on a road trip.
Kinsler had two hits and went 4 for 9 the last two games after an 0-for-14 stretch. He began the day hitting .227 in his previous 18 games. Beltre, who also singled in the eighth, has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games.
Dallas Keuchel gave up four hits and four walks in five-plus innings in his major league debut for the Astros. Fernando Rodriguez (1-7) replaced him after Nelson Cruz singled to open the sixth and was charged with four runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Carlos Lee, in his first game back after missing time on the disabled list with a strained hamstring, went 2 for 4 with two RBIs as the Astros' designated hitter.
Lewis has struck out 84 and walked 12 in 96 innings, giving him a major league-leading strikeouts-to-walks ratio. His only walk Sunday, with one out in the fifth to Jason Castro, was followed by a two-base wild pitch. Matt Downs then blooped a single over a drawn-in infield on the right side to give the Astros a 1-0 lead.
Lewis then retired the last eight batters he faced.
In the sixth, Rodriguez walked Mike Napoli and, after a sacrifice advanced the runners, Craig Gentry to load the bases. Kinsler followed with his bases-clearing triple. After Elvis Andrus walked, Michael Young singled to drive in Kinsler, and Andrus scored when right fielder Brian Bogusevic was slow getting the ball back to the infield. Beltre followed with his two-run shot into the left-field seats.
Andrus had an RBI single in the seventh to make it 8-1.
After Lee's two-run single in the eighth, Yorvit Torrealba's added run-scoring grounder in the bottom of the inning.
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