Urquidy Dominates Struggling Rangers In Astros' 6-1 Win
HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — José Urquidy threw seven dominant innings for his first major league win and Yuli Gurriel hit a three-run homer, sending the Houston Astros to a 6-1 victory over the skidding Texas Rangers on Saturday night.
Making his third career start, Urquidy (1-0) held the Rangers to two baserunners — a homer by Shin-Soo Choo and an infield single by Hunter Pence. The 24-year-old rookie right-hander from Mexico struck out nine.
Tony Kemp also homered as Houston, the AL West leader, won its fourth straight and handed Texas its sixth consecutive defeat.
Urquidy retired his first nine batters before Choo's homer to center field in the fourth. Then he set down the next 11 hitters until Pence's single in the seventh.
Houston put together a two-out rally in the fifth that started with singles from Michael Brantley and Yordan Alvarez, setting up Gurriel's homer to left-center. It was Gurriel's 18th of the season, matching his career high.
Gurriel has 13 home runs in his last 21 games and has gone deep in five straight at Minute Maid Park, matching the ballpark record set in 2006 by Morgan Ensberg.
For a fourth straight game, the Astros scored in the third inning. After hitting three successive homers in Friday night's 4-3 victory, Houston had three doubles in four at-bats, with Myles Straw, George Springer and Brantley finding the gaps for a 2-0 lead.
Kemp added a solo shot in the sixth to make it 6-1.
Rangers starter Ariel Jurado (5-6) allowed five runs and eight hits while striking out five in five innings.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)