Rookie Guzman delivers clutch hits in Rangers' comeback over Astros

Rookie Ronald Guzman, in his second big league game, hit a game-tying home run in the eighth and drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th as the Rangers rallied from a five-run deficit to beat the Astros 6-5 on Saturday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.

The Rangers scored three runs in the eighth, including a two-run home run off the right-field foul pole by Joey Gallo, and a game-tying blast by Guzman, the first of his brief major-league career.

"I was feeling very good," Guzman said. "I just had to stay on the breaking pitch and I did and it went out. If I feel good, I feel like I can hit any pitch."

The Astros had the winning run at second with two outs in the ninth but Keone Kela forced George Springer to fly out to left to send it to extra innings.

Reliever Chris Martin was quickly in a pickle in the bottom of the 10th. The first two hitters, Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve, reached on singles. Martin fielded Carlos Correa's check-swing in front of the mound and thew to third for the first out.

Adrian Beltre snared Yuli Gurriel's line drive at third but lost the handle on the transfer, preventing the inning-ending double play. Alex Claudio replaced Martin to face left-hitting Josh Reddick, who grounded out to Guzman to end the game.

It's the Rangers first comeback win of the season.

"They play like they’ve been here for a while and hit with confidence," Beltre said of rookies Guzman and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who hit his first major-league homer in the fifth to put Texas on the board. "It’s good for them to show what they can do just in case there’s an opening for them once everyone gets back. Those guys play hungry and jump around all the time, so we can all feel that energy and hopefully start playing better."

In the top of the 10th, Jurickson Profar walked with one out and moved to third on Gallo's double to the wall in left-center field. After Will Harris intentionally walked Beltre to load the bases, Guzman sent a shot back to the mound, which squirted under Harris' glove. Profar scored on the infield hit.

Rangers' starter Mike Minor breezed through the first three innings on 32 pitches. He faced the minimum number of Astros thanks to a double play in the third.

But things went off the rails during a 31-pitch fourth as the Astros struck for five runs. The first five hitters, starting from the top of the order, reached. Correa drove in two with a double to left and Gurriel cleared the bases with a three-run homer to the left-field Crawford Boxes.

Astros' starter Charlie Morton picked up where Friday's starter Gerrit Cole left off. Morton struck out 12 Rangers, who have now struck out 32 times in the two games in Houston.

Minor regrouped enough to return for a scoreless fifth inning but the damage had been done. He was charged with five runs on five hits and a walk. Minor had allowed just three earned runs combined in his previous two starts (10 2/3 innings).

Homers by Kiner-Falefa in the fifth and Beltre in the sixth pulled the Rangers to within 5-2.

It's Beltre's first homer in 2018 and No. 463 for his career, tying him with Miguel Cabrera for 35th all-time. It's Beltre's 1,118 career extra-base hit, which is one shy of tying George Brett for 17th all-time.

The Rangers' bullpen threw five scoreless innings, including two from Tony Barnette in the sixth and seventh.

For Guzman, the last two days started the "best week of my life so far," he said. "I'm loving this."

"I was just ready to hit," Guzman said of his 10th-inning infield single. "They challenged me so I’m going to do my best to put the ball in play. I was going to hit the ball hard somewhere and make it happen."

"Once you do it in big spots a couple of times, it’s going to help his confidence," Beltre said of Guzman.

Rangers 6, Astros 5

Inherited runners-scored—Claudio 2-0. HBP—Minor (Altuve). WP—Kela. Umpires—Home, Tom Hallion; First, Adam Hamari; Second, Dan Bellino; Third, Phil Cuzzi. T—3:26. A—40,679 (41,168).

This story was originally published April 14, 2018 at 6:40 PM.