Astros vs Rangers summary online: stats, scores and highlights | MLB ALCS Game 4 highlights
Astros steamroll Rangers in 10-3 blowout
Astros take both games in Arlington to even the ALCS at 2
Coming in to Game 4, the keys to the game were Houston taking advantage of the Rangers' lack of bullpen depth and the Rangers letting rip with their bats. The first one happened and the second one did not.
The opening salvo was fired in the first inning when once again, the Astros capitalized on Ranger mistakes, as Andrew Heaney gave up a double, a single, and a triple in the first three batters. A walk to Chas McCormick saw the Rangers have to dip into their bullpen after just 2/3 of an inning.
The Rangers drew level before the Astros repeated the performance. Losing batters after getting ahead 0-2, hit by pitches, and generally painting themselves into a corner was the order of the day for Rangers pitching. Time and time again, they would be one strike away from ending things when they would get sloppy, throw three balls, and then be forced to offer something over the plate. Time and again, the Astros made them pay for that.
José Abreu and Chas McCormick hit home runs while José Altuve came within inches of one. The Astros chipped away, grinding down opposition and posting ten runs on a Ranger bullpen that simply could not keep up with them.
The other side of the equation was the Rangers bats. While it was more or less a foregone conclusion that the Astros would score on that Texas bullpen, if the Ranger bats would light up, then they could outscore anybody in baseball. That was the theory anyway. In Game 4, it simply never materialized.
There was one brief stint in the second when it looked as if it may. There was a flicker of life in the third when it seemed a possibility. But that was as good as it would get. Giving up ten runs is difficult to overcome, but when you are not hitting you have no chance at all.
Now the ALCS is a wide open race again. No longer in pole position, the Rangers head back to Houston with the momentum going the other way.
Interestingly, no team has yet won a game in front of their home crowd.
Game five will square things, on paper at least, between the two teams as they line up Justin Verlander against Jordan Montgomery, with both teams fielding their aces in an all-out battle to regain the upper hand.
Goodbye!
That is going to do it for our live coverage of ALCS Game 4 between the Astros and Rangers. We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did!
Keep abreast of all MLB and sports news with Diario AS USA and stick with us as we bring you the full playoff season live.
We will return tomorrow with the Game 5 as the ALCS moves back to Houston. First pitch is at 5:07 pm.
Until then, good night and God bless!
Astros win
Josh Jung up now and the Rangers are down to their last out. He chops one to third for Alex Bregman. The throw to first is in time and that is the ballgame! The Astros win and level the series at two games apiece!
Nathaniel Lowe up now and works the count full. Montero's payoff delivery is a great changeup that catches Lowe swinging for strike three.
Jonah Heim the hitter now and he draws a walk on five pitches.
Garver grounds a slow roller to short. Peña's throw to first is in time for out number one.
Bottom 9th
Mitch Garver will lead off for the Rangers and they are down to their final three outs. Trailing by seven here in the ninth, this is now just about setting up some momentum for the return trip to Houston.
Pitching change
Dusty Baker will send on closer Rafael Montero to slam the door on this game.
Martín Maldonado the hitter and hits a roller into the hole at short. Seager gets to it and makes a looooonnnngggg throw to first, in time. The Astros go in order.
Jeremy Peña up now and he dribbles a slow roller to first. Nathaniel Lowe fields it and takes it to the bag himself. Two away.
Top 9th
Chas McCormick leads off for the Astros in the ninth and he shoots a grounder to third for Josh Jung. The throw to first is in time. One away.
Adolis Garcia to hit and after fouling off three pitches, he swings and misses at a lovely sweeping curve.
ꓘ
Evan Carter to the plate now and he fouls two off before watching a called strike three on the outside edge.
Corey Seager the hitter and he jumps on the first pitch, slapping a single into right field for a single.
Bottom 8th
Top of the Rangers order and Marcus Semien to lead off. He taps one straight back to the mound for Maton. The easy throw to first and it is one away.
Kyle Tucker the hitter and he lifts a fly ball to left field. Evan Carter is there to put it away and end the inning, but the Astros add one more to stretch that lead to 10-3.
José Abreu up now and he draws a five pitch walk.
Astros score
Yordan Álvarez the hitter and he rips a shot to right field for a single. Altuve scores on the play and that is 10 RBIs for Álvarez.
ꓘ
Alex Bregman up at the plate and he goes down on four pitches, never swinging the bat. Two down.
Mauricio Dubón the hitter now and he rolls one to third. Josh Jung fields it and goes to first for the out. Altuve advances to third on the play.
Top 8th
Jose Altuve leads off and jumps on the first pitch. He rocks a deep one to left field that hits the wall on the yellow line. It is ruled a home run but on review it is reversed and Altuve is called back to second base with a ground rule double.
Pitching change
Martín Pérez will come on to pitch now for the Rangers.
Leody Taveras up now and he jumps on the first pitch, grounding it softly to second for Altuve. The throw to first ends the inning.
Josh Jung the hitter now and he rips a roller up the middle. José Altuve gets to it, back hands it, jump spin throw to first is in time!
Bottom 7th
Nathaniel Lowe leads off for the Rangers and he runs the count full. Maton's payoff delivery is lifted into shallow left field for McCormick. One away.
Pitching change
Phil Maton will come on to pitch for the Astros with a six run lead.
Double play
Martín Maldonado up now and he rips one to short for Corey Seager. He goes to second for one and on to first for the second to end the inning.
The Astros add two on a Chas McCormick home run, to stretch their lead to 9-3!
Hit by pitch
Jeremy Pena up to the plate and on the second delivery he is hit by the pitch.
CHAS MCCORMICK HOME RUN!
Chas McCormick to the plate now with a runner in scoring position. He hits a deep fly ball to left center field. It is carrying! It is back, to the wall and gone! Two run home run for Chas McCormick! The Astros are extending that lead!
Stolen base
Kyle Tucker now the hitter and on the 1-2 delivery, Tucker goes down swinging as Abreu takes off for second. Heim's throw is wild and goes into center field.
Top 7th
José Abreu will lead off for the Astros in the seventh. The count runs full and Smith's payoff delivery misses for a leadoff walk.
Jonah Heim up now and he chops one to Altuve at second. The throw to first ends the inning 1-2-3.
Mitch Garver the hitter now and he rolls one to short stop for Peña. The throw to first in time. Two down.
Bottom 6th
Adolis Garcia leads off for the Rangers and jumps on the first pitch, lining one to center but right at Mauricio Dubon.
Yordan Álvarez will face the new pitcher and he grounds a slow roller to third. Josh Jung makes the throw to end the inning.
Pitching change
That is going to be all for Chris Stratton as Will Smith will be asked to take over.
Alex Bregman to the plate and he works a full count before the payoff misses, drawing a two-out walk.
Mauricio Dubón now and he lifts one to right but right at Adolis Garcia. Two down.
Top 6th
José Altuve leads off for the Astros and he chops one to shrt for Corey Seager. The throw to first is in time. One out.
Evan Carter up now with a runner on second and two outs. He jumps on the first pitch and lines it to deep center. Mauricio Dubón on the run and he gets to it to end the inning.
Overturned by replay
Corey Seager to the plate and he lines one to first for José Abreu. A footrace with Semien to get back to the bag before the tag and Semien gets in there. The Astros challenge the call and it is overturned! That is a dodgy call! It looks like Abreu missed the tag.
Marcus Semien the hitter now and he lines one to right center that falls in for a single. Back to back hits to start off.
Bottom 5th
Leody Taveras leads off for the Rangers and he rips a single to center field to get things going.
Martín Maldonado the hitter and Stratton goes right at him, getting him to swing and miss on three pitches.
ꓘ
Jeremy Peña up now and he goes down on three pitches without ever swinging the lumber.
Top 5th
Chas McCormick will lead things off and he raps a line drive to left center, but Evan Carter is able to get to it for the first out.
Pitching change
Bochy is looking for some consistency on the mound and will call on Chris Stratton to try and provide it.
ꓘ
Josh Jung the hitter now and he goes down on three pitches without ever swinging the bat. The Rangers go in order.
Nathaniel Lowe to the plate now and he chases a high fastball for strike three.
Bottom 4th
Jonah Heim will lead things off for the Rangers in the fourth. He rips a line drive to left but right to Chas McCormick for the first out.
Pitching change
The Astros will bring on Hunter Brown to pitch.
Kyle Tucker the hitter now and he lifts one out to center field for Leody Taveras. The Astros have cracked this game wide open again with a massive four-run inning, leading now 7-3!
JOSE ABREU HOME RUN
José Abreu the hitter now and he hammers one to left center field! That is long gone! Three run homer! Altuve scores! Mauricio Dubón scores! The Astros take a huge lead!
Astros score
Yordan Álvarez will face the new pitcher with bases loaded and just one out. Bradford works a full count. The payoff pitch is lifted deep to center field. Leody Taveras drifts back and catches it on the warning track, but it is deep enough for Maldonado to tag up at thrid and score. Altuve advances to third on the play.
Pitching change
Bruce Bochy will not wait around, pulling Dunning for Cody Bradford.
Bregman works the count to 2-2 before swinging at a changeup that the bottom fell out of. One out.
Alex Bregman is up now and he is a dangerous man to have up in this situation, bases loaded and no outs.
Mauricio Dubón the hitter and he jumps on the first pitch, poking a single to right field. Everybody advances 90 feet and the bases are loaded.
José Altuve the hitter now and Dunning is struggling here, giving up a five pitch walk. Back to back.
Bottom 3rd
Martín Maldonado will lead off for the Astros in the third and Dunning gets two quick breaking ball strikes. Maldy works the count back to full before the payoff delivery misses low for a leadoff walk.
Double play
Mitch Garver will face the new pitcher and goes after the first delivery, grounding one to third for Alex Bregman. The throw to second gets one and Altuve's throw to first gets the other. Stanek delivers one pitch and gets two outs to end the inning.
Pitching change
Dusty will go ahead and make the change. Ryne Stanek will come out to take over from Jose Urquidy.
Adolis Garcia to the plate with a runner on first and one out. He rips a single through the left side and Carter advances to second. The Rangers have the go-ahead runner in scoring position and Dusty Baker will come out to the mound.
Evan Carter the hitter now and he flares a little single into left.
HOME RUN COREY SEAGER!
Corey Seager up now and jumps on the first pitch. It is high, it is waaaaayyy back! Center field! We have a tie ball game!
Bottom 3rd
Top of the Rangers order and Marcus Semien will lead things off. Urquidy delivers and gets two called strikes, forcing Semien to foul a few off. The sixth 0-2 delivery is lifted into foul territory by first base and Abreu puts it away. One out
ꓘ
Jeremy Peña up now and he works the count to 2-2. Dunning delivers a peach of a sinker that catches the bottom of the zone for a called strike three.
Chas McCormick the hitter now and he goes after the first delivery, chopping a slow roller to third. Josh Jung charges it and makes a blinding throw to first in time! Two down
Tucker taps the second delivery to short for Corey Seager. The throw to first is in time for the first out.
Top 3rd
Kyle Tucker will lead things off for the Astros and now it is the turn of Houston to feel that they need a swift response.
Leody Taveras the hitter and Urquidy goes straight after him, striking him out on three pitches to end the inning. The Rangers strand a runner, but pull two back and we are in a ballgame now! Astros 3 Rangers 2
Rangers score
Josh Jung to the plate now with runners on second and third and one out. After his two home runs yesterday, Urquidy is keeping the ball away from him. The count runs full and the payoff pitch is that inside change and Jung lifts it to deep left field. McCormick takes it for the second out but it is enough for Garver to score from third on the sac fly.
Double
Nathaniel Lowe up now and he lifts one down the left field line. That is trouble for McCormick, he was shading over toward center. It drops in fair! It makes it into the corner for a double! Mitch Garver is in at third.
Jonah Heim the hitter now and he lifts one to center field for Mauricio Dubón. One down.
Mitch Garver the hitter now and Urquidy is shaken, giving him a pass on five pitches.
Bottom 2nd
Adolis Garcia will lead things off for the Rangers in the second. He works the count to 2-2 before an inside changeup is rocked into the left field crowd! That was a no-doubter from the sound of the bat! Home run Garcia and the Rangers pull one back!
José Abreu to the plate with runners on the corners. Abreu fires a grounder to short for Corey Seager. The flip to the bag at second ends the inning.
Álvarez gets one on the fists, rolling it to second. Semien takes it to the bag himself for one and goes to first, not in time. Álvarez is safe on the fielders choice.
Yordan Álvarez up now with runners on first and second and just one out. This is dangerous for the Rangers.
So Dunning goes back to work on Bregman and works the count full. Dunning's payoff delivery misses wide for ball four.
Alex Bregman the hitter and before a delivery, Dunning picks to first. It is close but called safe. Texas challenges it and the call is upheld.
Texas lose their challenge and have only one remaining.
Mauricio Dubón the hitter now and he fouls off four on the way to a 2-2 count. The eighth delivery is a curve in the dirt and Dubón can't hold off the check swing for strike three. One down
Top 2nd
The top of the Astros order is up and José Altuve will lead off here in the second. He rips the first three pitches foul, two to the left side. The 0-2 delivery is poked into right field for a leadoff single.
Second verse same as the first.
Evan Carter up now and he pops a blooper to short for Jeremy Peña to end the inning. The Rangers go quietly.
Corey Seager the hitter and he lifts a drifter down the left field line. Chas McCromick tracks it over and there are two away.
Semien stays composed and it is Urquidy's turn to struggle finding the zone. Two foul balls run the count full before the payoff delivery is lined to center field. Mauricio Dubón charges it and will get there to put it away.
Bottom 1st
The Astros are out in the field behind José Urquidy who will face Marcus Semien at the top of this Rangers lineup who will feel that they need a quick response to this Astros ounslaught.
Martín Maldonado the hitter now with two outs and the bases loaded. Álvarez is at third, McCormick at second and Peña on first. Again Dunning works the count full before his payoff delivery is a fastball up in the zone that gets Maldonado swinging for strike three.
The Rangers get out of a tight spot, and the Astros strand three, but not before jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning!
Jeremy Peña will face the new pitcher and he is the eighth hitter this inning. Dunning keeps the pitches low and gets the count full before the payoff delivery is chopped to short. That bounce was so high that by the time it came down, everybody was safe! Corey Seager barehanded it and went to first but he had no chance!
Pitching change
Dane Dunning will come out and take over in the first from Heaney.
Chas McCormick up now and he draws a five pitch walk. Andrew Heaney is struggling here in the first. Bruce Bochy will stride out to the mound and makes the change.
Kyle Tucker the hitter and he works the count full. The payoff delivery from Heaney is tapped back to the mound. Heaney looks Álvarez back to the bag before going to first for the second out.
Jose Abreu up now and he goes after the first pitch, tapping a little soft one in front of the plate. Jonah Heim goes to first for the out as Yordan Alvarez moves up to second.
Astros score
Yordan Álvarez the hitter and he jumps on the first pitch, slapping a single to center field that will score Bregman. Ten pitches into this game and the Astros are up 3-0!
Triple! Astros score
Alex Bregman up now and he blasts one off the wall in right center! Altuve scores! Dubón scores! Bregman heads for third! The throw is not in time and he is in there with a triple!
Mauricio Dubón the hitter now and he blips one into shallow center field for a single. Altuve advances to third on the play.
Double
Altuve rips the third down the line into the corner in left field! It carens back toward the infield and Altuve rounds first and is in with a leadoff double!
First pitch
The Rangers are on the field and ready to get the game started. Andrew Heaney is on the mound and will face José Altuve at the top of this Astros lineup. The roof is open for the first time since May.
The home plate umpire signals play ball and Heaney gets into his delivery. The first pitch is a called strike on the outside edge.
We are off and running!
Roof... open?
The Rangers are trying a new tack. Open roof in October, will weather be a factor?
TONIGHT'S LINEUPS
The Home Team
Rangers Batting Order
1. Semien (2B) *R
2. Seager (SS) *L
3. Carter (LF) *L
4. García (RF) *R
5. Garver (DH) *R
6. Heim (C) *S
7. Lowe (1B) *L
8. Jung (3B) *R
9. Taveras (CF) *S
The Visitors
Astros Batting Order
1. Altuve (2B) *R
2. Dubón (CF) *R
3. Bregman (3B) *R
3. Álvarez (DH) *L
5. Abreu (1B) *R
6. Tucker (RF) *L
7. McCormick (LF) *R
2. Peña (SS) *R
9. Maldonado (C) *R
STARTING PITCHERS REGULAR SEASON STATS
HOUSTON ASTROS
José Urquidy (RHP)
3 - 3
5.29 ERA
45 K
63.0 IP
1.43 WHIP
TEXAS RANGERS
Andrew Heaney (LHP)
10 - 6
4.15 ERA
151 K
147.1 IP
1.38 WHIP
PITCHING
The Astros will go with José Urquidy tonight and he has steadily improved since returning from shoulder surgery in August. He threw 5.2 in Game 3 of the ALDS, surrendering only two runs to the Twins in the process. In his favor is a rejuvenated Astros team that has a strong run at Globe Life this season, winning seven of eight there in 2023.
The Rangers will be going with Andrew Heaney in Game 4 and in his only outing this post season, he held the Orioles to just one run in 3.2 innings. Something of a question mark, Heaney will be asked to go three or four innings in what is sure to be a bullpen game run by Bruce Bochy.
WELCOME!!!
Welcome to the Diario AS USA live commentary of Game 4 of this historic All-Texas ALCS matchup between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
All of a sudden, we have a series again. The Rangers topping Houston in the first two games threatened to make this a less enjoyable ALCS than the hyped-up All-Texas series promised. With Houston’s win in Game 3, they stripped back the curtain on the Rangers’ bullpen, revealing the lack of depth within.
The Rangers will be looking to bounce back, but they will have to win at least one game without a pitcher named Montgomery or Eovaldi on the mound.
Dusty Baker is confident that the Astros are in the driver’s seat in this series. They have been to the puppet show, they have seen the strings. But for Texas, this is all a new experience.
The Astros are punching off the back foot at the moment, and while it is something that they are happy to do, it is not what they are used to. Plus, there is a statistical advantage to Texas having won the opening two games away. No team has ever come back to win a series after dropping the first two games at home.
The keys to tonight’s game will be in the Texas bats. If they remain silenced into the fifth or sixth inning, then Houston will walk away with the game. The Rangers pitching is simply not strong enough to prevent it. But if the Rangers can get their bats to work, ramp up that offense that outscored everyone in the American League this season, then maybe, just maybe they can stay on the front foot.