​ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Wyatt Langford and Jake Burger homered in a four-run eighth inning, lifting the Texas Rangers to a 7-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday night. Langford opened the scoring with a leadoff homer, and Burger delivered a three-run blast off Bryan King (2-2) after Houston had recovered from an early 3-0 deficit to knot the game at 3 in the seventh. The Astros’ rally included Yordan Álvarez’s 200th career home run, his 30th of the season.
Langford’s big night followed a memorable moment the previous day when he hit a walk-off homer in a 7-6 win over the Los Angeles Angels, coming just hours after being reinstated from the injured list. Cole Winn (5-2) was solid in relief, retiring all four batters he faced in the seventh and eighth innings for his second win in as many nights.
The Rangers, improving to 48-46, now lead the American League West by 1½ games over Seattle and by three games over the Astros. Houston has dropped three of its last four games.
Texas grabbed a 2-0 lead against Ranger-killer Hunter Brown in the opener, stretching it to 3-0 in the fifth on Joc Pederson’s home run. Álvarez’s 455-foot homer to right field to open the sixth was his sixth blast in five games at Globe Life Field this season and the 18th in 35 career regular-season games at the park. Cal Quantrill, making his first-ever appearance against Houston, allowed that solo homer to Álvarez among five hits and one walk over a season-high six innings, earning his fourth consecutive start after 15 relief appearances. He threw 79 pitches, a season high.
Houston tied it at 3 in the seventh when Yainer Díaz belted a two-run homer off Chris Martin. Brown finished six innings, yielding three runs and walking a season-high five while allowing four hits in his fifth start after missing 2½ months with a strained shoulder.
Up to this point, the Astros had climbed back into the game, but the decisive eighth inning swung the balance in favor of Texas. The Rangers added insurance with Langford’s leadoff homer and Burger’s three-run shot, silencing Houston’s hopes of a late rally.
Houston’s situation grew more precarious as the bullpen turned in a rough outing in support of starter Brown. The Astros will look to rebound in the series finale, seeking more consistent pitching and timely offense to stem the Rangers’ momentum.
Looking ahead, Saturday night’s middle game of the series will feature Astros right-hander Peter Lambert (7-5, 3.26 ERA) against Rangers right-hander Kumar Rocker (2-7, 3.95). The matchup represents another opportunity for both teams to shape the division race as the season progresses.
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