Yusei Kikuchi Strikes Out Eight Pitching into the Sixth Inning, Astros Beat Rangers 6-4

AP

11:04 JST, August 8, 2024

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Yordan Alvarez hit a 117 mph homer for the Houston slugger’s hardest shot of the season, Yusei Kikuchi struck out eight pitching into the sixth inning and the Astros beat the Texas Rangers 6-4 on Wednesday.

The victory clinched the season series for the Astros for the eighth consecutive year in a decisive final regular-season meeting between last season’s AL Championship Series opponents and the past two World Series champions. The Texas rivals split the first 12 meetings, including the first two in this series.

The Silver Boot trophy actually meant something last year when Houston had the tiebreaker and avoided the wild card after tying Texas atop the AL West. The Rangers took the longer postseason route to the franchise’s first championship.

Victor Caratini also went deep while Jeremy Peña, Mauricio Dubón, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman drove in a run apiece for Houston, which started the day a half-game behind Seattle in the division with Texas five back.

“It’s important,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen in the next 50 games. We just want to put our club in a good position to win the West. It matters.”

Kikuchi (5-9) held Texas scoreless through five innings before Marcus Semien’s 17th home run, a solo shot, leading off the sixth.

The Japanese left-hander gave up four hits and two runs in 5 1/3 innings a day after Framber Valdez lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning on Corey Seager’s two-run homer in the Astros’ 4-2 victory.

It was the first start for Kikuchi since tying a franchise record with eight consecutive strikeouts in his Houston debut following the trade that brought the 33-year-old from Toronto. His previous victory was June 11 with the Blue Jays, but the Astros are 2-0 in his starts.

“I feel like I’ve been settling in and getting used to my surroundings,” Kikuchi said through an interpreter. “But getting those two wins definitely eases the pressure.”

Houston closer Josh Hader, pitching on a third consecutive day for the first time this season, struck out Seager to start a perfect ninth for his 24th consecutive save, tying Brad Lidge’s single-season franchise record from 2005.

Alvarez’s solo shot for his 22nd homer and second in as many games was a low liner 415 feet into the Texas bullpen in deep right-center field for a 2-0 lead in the third.

“I really didn’t think that was going to be a homer,” Alvarez said through an interpreter. “I was running hard and then I looked up and the ball was gone, and I was like, ‘Oh, wow.'”

Peña’s fielder’s choice scored Bregman in the first against José Ureña (3-7), who gave up two runs on six hits and three walks in four innings.

“We move on,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “I keep saying that. It’s all you can do. It was a tight series. That’s always tough when you lose a series to the team you’re chasing.”

Houston’s Zach Dezenzo doubled leading off the second for his first major league hit while playing first base a day after going 0 for 4 in his big league debut as the designated hitter.

The 24-year-old singled and scored from first on Dubón’s double after Caratini’s solo shot, his sixth homer, in a three-run sixth inning against José Leclerc. Dubón scored on Altuve’s single.

Dezenzo reached base a third time on an eighth-inning walk and scored on Bregman’s single.

“Yesterday was yesterday. A lot of emotions. Pretty overwhelming,” Dezenzo said. “Today I felt a lot more like myself, just playing the game again, enjoying it, having fun with the guys.”

Nathaniel Lowe had an RBI triple for Texas, and Jonah Heim drove in a run with a single.