Hamels, Rangers Cruise To 9-2 Win Over Houston
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
HOUSTON (AP) — Cole Hamels fanned a season-high 11 in eight sparkling innings and the Texas Rangers jumped on Dallas Keuchel early, cruising to an easy 9-2 win over the Houston Astros to complete a three-game sweep Sunday.
The Rangers have taken six in row from Houston and 14 of 16. The Astros have lost four straight overall.
Hamels (5-0) has won a career-best 12 straight decisions dating to last year. He allowed five hits and two runs — one earned — in his longest start this season to lower his ERA to 2.83.
Nomar Mazara hit an RBI single during a five-run third against Keuchel (2-6) and added a two-run homer to pad the lead in the seventh.
Keuchel continues to struggle in the follow-up to his 20-win season. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner allowed nine hits and seven runs in six innings, extending his skid to five games.
It's his longest losing streak since he dropped a career-high seven in a row as a rookie in 2012.
Bobby Wilson and Adrian Beltre each drove in two runs for the Rangers. Evan Gattis hit a solo home run.
Keuchel retired his first six batters before running into trouble in the third. Things got off to a bad start in that inning when he plunked Ryan Rua. A double by Wilson, which bounced off the wall in center field, scored Rua to make it 1-0.
Keuchel struck out the next two batters before an RBI single by Ian Desmond. Prince Fielder drew a walk before a two-run double by Beltre made it 4-0. Mazara followed with his run-scoring single.
The Astros had managed just one hit against Hamels before Gattis connected on an 85 mph changeup for his homer with two outs in the sixth.
(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
