Texas Rangers Corral Houston Astros 4-1 in Exhibition Bout

ROUND ROCK, Texas – The Texas Rangers earned their first victory at the Alternate Training Site with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday afternoon at Dell Diamond. Texas 3B Anderson Tejeda led the way offensively, smacking a three-run homer to left field in the fifth inning. DH Adolis García collected a solo shot of his own in the ninth inning to cement the victory. Thursday’s contest was a scheduled 10-inning game.

<a href="https://img.mlbstatic.com/milb-images/image/upload/milb/ooarqc7x5wzimdujrrxr.pdf" target="blank" >Unofficial statistics from today's game can be viewed by clicking here._

On the mound, RHP Sam Gaviglio picked up the win after 2.0 strong innings of relief. Rangers starter RHP Jason Bahr was solid in his outing, holding the Astros to three hits, all singles, while striking out five in 3.0 frames. On the losing side, Houston RHP Jake Odorizzi allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while punching out five in 5.2 innings.

Just like Wednesday night’s exhibition opener, both teams were held scoreless through the first four innings. Texas then set the tone in the fifth as RF Jason Martin worked a leadoff walk prior to a single courtesy of CF Carl Chester. After a Yonny Hernandez sacrifice bunt that moved both runners 90 feet closer to home, Tejeda stepped to the plate and lined a three-run homer just over the fence in left field to give the Rangers the lead.

Texas’ pitching staff held Houston off the board until the ninth inning, as PH Colton Shaver tallied a leadoff double off RHP Blake Bass before moving to third on an ensuing Alex de Goti groundout. Following a Taylor Jones walk, SS Freudis Nova grounded into a fielder’s choice that left Shaver just enough time to sprint home, thwarting Texas’ bid for a shutout performance.

The Rangers picked the run right back up in the bottom of the frame, thanks to a 396-foot leadoff home run courtesy of García, extending the final score to 4-1.

Texas and Houston will meet again in a two-game Alternate Training Site exhibition series at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, home of the Double-A Hooks, on Monday, April 12 and Tuesday, April 13. The Rangers will return to Dell Diamond for another two-game exhibition series against the Astros beginning on Monday, April 19. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m.

For more information about the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Subscribe to the E-Train email newsletter and keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!