Tempers flare as Rangers scrap to tough win over Astros

Maybe we finally have something here with this whole Lone Star Series.

The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros, both battling with postseason hopes for the first time in the same division, provided a vivid example of what real stakes — instead of the Silver Boot trophy — can produce Saturday night at Minute Maid Park.

The Rangers held on for a 7-6 victory after the Astros twice pulled within a run with late rallies.

The game featured a dugout-clearing scrum between the teams when Astros catcher Hank Conger, according to several Rangers players, aggressively advised Rougned Odor to get in the batter’s box at the start of the ninth inning. Odor took exception and said something back to Conger before Prince Fielder, who was on deck, stepped in to separate the two.

Both teams poured out of their dugouts and Rangers manager Jeff Banister pointed his finger adamantly toward an Astros coach or player in the middle of the scrum before order was restored.

Odor responded by hitting a standup triple to the right-center gap, his third of the night. He scored on Adrian Beltre’s single to center, which came on the eighth pitch of the at-bat after he had fallen behind 0-2.

Josh Hamilton followed with a two-out double to the right-field corner, his second of the night, which scored Beltre, who slid home just before the throw. Those two runs gave Texas a 7-4 cushion going into the bottom of the ninth, and the Rangers needed every bit of it.

“You saw some passion from our guys,” Banister said. “They’re not going to be pushed around. It was nice to see that answer-back inning, what a wonderful at-bat by Beltre there which kind of epitomized the whole night for us. Just a battle.”

The Astros scored three times in the eighth thanks to three hits, including a run-scoring double by Jose Altuve, a run-scoring single by Carlos Correa and an error on a slow roller that got under a charging Elvis Andrus at short.

The Rangers clung to a 5-4 lead after Sam Freeman came in to get the final out of the eighth, which had been started by Colby Lewis, who held Houston to two runs on four hits in 7 1/3 innings. Tanner Scheppers took over for Lewis but had to wait during a review of 4 minutes, 34 seconds after a play at the plate.

The Rangers thought replays showed catcher Robinson Chirinos tagged Marwin Gonzalez before his hand touched home, but the call stood. Scheppers walked the next batter on four pitches before Correa’s single skipped off Odor’s glove into right.

After the Rangers pulled back out to a 7-4 lead in the top of the ninth, the Astros stormed back with a two-run homer by Conger before Shawn Tolleson retired the next three batters for his 14th save.

Texas led 4-0 through six innings on a two-run homer by Odor in the third, and two more runs in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Shin-Soo Choo and a solo homer by Chirinos.

Odor and Hamilton were both 3 for 5 with homers. Hamilton also had two doubles. His homer in the eighth, which gave Texas a 5-1 lead, was his first since he hit two on May 29.

“It’s a competitive game and sometimes somebody is going to say something to somebody and it’s going to rub them the wrong way and tempers are going to flare,” Hamilton said. “But it’s good to see the guys jump out there and have each other’s back. It definitely puts a little spark in there and reassures guys they’re there for each other. Absolutely, guys love to see that [manager defending his players].”

This story was originally published July 18, 2015 at 11:32 PM with the headline "Tempers flare as Rangers scrap to tough win over Astros."