Rangers can’t sweep Astros despite strong start by Andrew Cashner

The Rangers received another strong start from Andrew Cashner but it wasn’t enough Sunday afternoon against the Astros, who prevented a sweep with a 2-1 win at Globe Life Park. The Astros snapped a five-game losing streak and the Rangers’ three-game win streak came to an end.

How Rangers pitchers fared: Jose Altuve’s solo homer gave the Astros a 1-0 lead against starter Andrew Cashner. They added another run in the seventh to reclaim a 2-1 lead. Yuli Gurriel led off with a double off the wall in center field and scored from third on Carlos Beltran’s sinking liner that fell in front of left-fielder Delino DeShields. Cashner allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over seven innings. Tony Barnette pitched a perfect eighth. Jose Leclerc pitched a scoreless ninth. Cashner took the loss to drop to 7-9.

How Rangers hitters fared: Astros’ starter Dallas Keuchel held the Rangers to one run — a solo homer by Adrian Beltre in the sixth — over 6 2/3 innings. The Rangers had runners at second and third with one out after after Nomar Mazara and Beltre led off the eighth with walks and Carlos Gomez moved them over with a sacrifice bunt. Texas came away empty-handed, however, when Joey Gallo ripped a line drive right to first baseman Gurriel, who threw to second base to easily double up pinch-runner Drew Robinson to end the inning. Keuchel earned the win to improve to 10-2. Ken Giles earned his 23rd save with a scoreless eighth and ninth.

Notables: Beltre hit career homer No. 457, which is two behind 37th all-time Miguel Cabrera ... Beltre now has 1,619 RBIs, four shy of Chipper Jones for 30th all-time.

This story was originally published August 13, 2017 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Rangers can’t sweep Astros despite strong start by Andrew Cashner."