Astros pull even in ALCS against the odds with 10-3 win over Rangers in Game 4
AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez
Houston got off to a hot start, racking up a 3-0 lead in the top of the 1st inning, but the Rangers answered the call with 3 unanswered runs of their own over the next 2 innings – capped by Corey Seager’s opposite-field homer in the bottom of the 3rd, but then Houston responded almost immediately. Right after Yordan Avarez broke the tie with a sacrifice fly in the 4th, Jose Abreu stepped up and hit a three-run dinger to take a 7-3 lead and the Astros just never looked back from there.
In addition to Seagers home run, Adolis Garcia also homered for the wild-card Rangers, who have dropped two games in a row at home after starting this postseason with seven consecutive wins, including 6 on the road. That run included sweeps of Baltimore and Tampa Bay, who had the 2 best regular season records in the AL this year.
Game 5 is on Friday afternoon at 5:07 eastern and it's the 3rd consecutive game in the series at Arlington’s Globe Life field, where the defending World Series champion Astros are 8-1 this season. The home team has yet to lead in this series, which switches back to Houston for game’s 6 and 7.
“We’re playing a good team. Nobody thought it was going to be easy,” Ranger’s manager Bruce Bochy said. “They have played very well in this ballbpark. We need to change that. We know it.”
Game 4 marked Jose Altuve’s 100th career playoff game, and he celebrated by recording three hits, including the homer, and scoring three times. The three runs he drove in bring his RBI total to 13 already this postseason.
“That means a lot, obviously. It makes it even more special because we won,” said Altuve. “Nothing’s done yet, but to be able to get the opportunity to come back and tie the series…it’s really important for us.”
Game 5 will feature a rematch of the trade-deadline acquisitions who started the series opener. Rangers’ lefty, Jordan Montgomery threw 6 1/3 innings in Game 1 as Texas won 2-0. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, who allowed both of the 2 runs in game 1 over 6 innings, will make is 21st career postseason start for the Astros. Houston got Verlander back from the Mets at the deadline. He made 16 starts in New York after signing with them in free agency last offseason.
The weather forecast in Arlington calls for rain this evening starting around 7:30, so expect the roof to be closed unlike game 4 which enjoyed 78 degrees and clear skies to start the game.
Here are the odds via Draft Kings:
Odds courtesy of DraftKings.com