ARLINGTON -- Veterans Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker and rookie Cam Smith are among those getting their first taste of the Lone Star Series, which has been taken to a new level intensity-wise in recent years with the Astros winning the World Series in 2022 and the Rangers eliminating Houston on their way to the World Series title a year later.
While Jose Altuve still holds the title as the Rangers’ ultimate nemesis -- and the loud boos he continues to receive at Globe Life Field are a reminder of that -- Paredes, Walker and Smith stepped up Friday night and led the Astros to a 6-3 come-from-behind win, snapping the Rangers’ six-game winning streak.
“I thought we put up some really good at-bats,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “Cam Smith had a big double. Walker, I thought he looked really good today. He hit three balls really hard. It was a great team win.”
Paredes slapped a two-run single with the bases loaded to put the Astros ahead, 3-2, in the seventh inning -- the Astros were an MLB-worst 5-for-40 with the bases loaded prior to that -- and Walker followed with a towering three-run homer off reliever Shawn Armstrong to cap a six-run outburst. All six runs came across with two outs.
“Personally, it felt great to feel like you’re contributing to a good win,” Walker said. “It was a great comeback. I’m proud of the offense for sticking it out. … There were a great couple of at-bats leading up to that homer, from Cam and Paredes, and luckily I was the one with the timely hit tonight, but it feels like anyone could have done it.”
Walker’s homer, which traveled a Statcast-estimated 410 feet, was his first since April 28, ending a season-high 15-game stretch without a homer. As he rounded the bases, a huge roar erupted from Astros fans who filled the ballpark, giving Walker his first experience of how well Houston fans have traveled the 256 miles to Arlington in recent years.
“It’s just up the street, so happy that fans traveled, or maybe they’re here permanently and they come out to the game,” Walker said. “That’s always fun to see.”
After being held scoreless through five innings for the 16th time in 44 games, the Astros sent 11 batters to the plate in the seventh and got an RBI double by Smith, a go-ahead single by Paredes and Walker’s fifth homer of the season. The Astros are 5-0 when Walker homers this year.
Walker, who entered the game in an 0-for-16 slump, went 2-for-4 with a walk and scalded the ball in three of his four at-bats. His first-inning single was 110 mph off the bat and his fourth-inning groundout was 109.5 mph -- they were the two hardest-hit balls in the game. His home run was 104.1 mph off the bat, so perhaps Walker has turned a corner.
“I’m trying to have two different headspaces -- have the thoughtful attention-to-detail side of things in the cage, but once the game starts, it’s really challenging myself to keep it simple and compete,” he said. “It’s hard to think about mechanics in the box. No. 1 is timing and making good decisions. If I pick a good pitch and I’m ready to get a swing timing-wise, I’m confident I’ll hit it hard.”
Lance McCullers Jr., making his third start since returning from a serious arm injury and first start since he gave up seven runs in one-third of an inning Saturday against the Reds, rebounded to throw four innings. He gave up two runs, which were unearned because of a missed catch at second base by shortstop Jeremy Peña on a potential double-play ball in the second inning.
“Obviously, I still feel like I’m lacking a little bit on the putaway stuff,” McCullers said. “I think I let some at-bats roll though and extend a little bit longer than they needed to. I would have liked to have gotten another out there in the second and could have stretched the outing a little bit more, but overall I think it’s a step in the right direction. I was glad to give us a chance to stay close in the ballgame.”
Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi held Houston scoreless for 5 2/3 innings, allowing two hits, before the Astros jumped on relievers Hoby Milner and Armstrong in the seventh. The Astros were 2-19 when trailing after six innings entering the game.