ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Evan Gattis hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to send home Jose Altuve and lift the AL West-leading Houston Astros over the Texas Rangers 5-4 on Wednesday night.
Altuve had his MLB-leading 115th hit with a one-out single in the 10th that snapped an 0-for-13 slide. Chris Martin (1-2) then hit Yuli Gurriel with a pitch before an errant pickoff throw allowed both runners to move up. Gattis followed with a flyball to right-center.
Gurriel homered, doubled and scored twice as the Astros overcame an early four-run deficit. His fifth homer, leading off the fifth against starter Mike Minor, tied the game at 4.
That came an inning after Gurriel had a leadoff double and scored when Josh Reddick went deep.
Shin-Soo Choo homered and had a single to extend his on-base streak to 44 games, the longest in his career and in the majors this season. That matches Otis Nixon’s streak in 1995 for the Rangers, and trails only Julio Franco’s 46-gamer in 1993 for the team record.
The Astros won their eighth consecutive road game against Texas and are a majors-best 32-14 on the road this season. Houston has a 12-4 advantage in the season series between the instate division rivals that has only a three-game set remaining in Houston later this month.
Collin McHugh (4-0) allowed only one hit over three scoreless innings. Ken Giles worked the 10th for his 12th save in 12 chances.
Texas led 4-0 after Choo’s one-out solo homer started a three-run outburst in the third off starter Gerrit Cole. Jurickson Profar added an RBI single before scoring on Rougned Odor’s double.
Profar also scored in the second inning, when he was hit by a pitch, stole a base and went home on Robinson Chirinos’ double.
DEEP ON THE ROAD
The Astros have homered in 24 consecutive road games, three short of the MLB record set by the Oakland Athletics earlier this season. Baltimore also went deep in 24 consecutive road games in 1996.
RACKING UP K’s
Cole, who threw 108 pitches to get through five innings, struck out seven to increase his season total to 158. The only Astros pitcher with more strikeouts before the All-Star break is Mike Scott, with 167 in 22 starts in 1986. Cole has made 18 starts, with two more scheduled before the break.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: Manager A.J. Hinch said C Max Stassi was feeling better than expected after getting hit by a pitch on his right (throwing) wrist in the first inning Tuesday, on the same day starting catcher Brian McCann had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Tim Federowicz started at catcher Wednesday.
Rangers: 3B Adrian Beltre, baseball’s active career hits leader (3,108), was scratched from the lineup about an hour before the game because of an infected tooth. ... RHP Tony Barnette went on the 10-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain. The reliever had an MRI, a day after leaving Tuesday night’s game in the middle of a batter.
UP NEXT
Astros: Justin Verlander (9-4), who has lost his last two starts, is on the mound when the Astros return home for the opener Thursday night of a four-game series against the Chicago White Sox.
Rangers: The Rangers open a 10-game, 11-day trip that will take them to the All-Star break when they play Thursday night at Detroit. Texas also plays at Boston and Baltimore before the break and their next home game July 20.
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