Big lead for the Rangers against the Astros in the American League

Nathan Eovaldi he launched with quality and attack Texas Rangersrelied on a four-hitter in the first inning to defeat the Houston Astros 5-4 and take a 2-0 lead in American League Championship Series.

With victory, Rangers (2-0) improved to 7-0 in the postseason, six of those wins coming on the road, while the Astros (0-2) fell to 1-3 in their four playoff games. Minute Maid Park in Houston at this stage of the season.

Eovaldi (3-0) was able to establish himself on the mound and struck out nine batters on Monday against the Astros, who scored three runs in a six-inning effort to advance his team in this best-of-seven matchup .

Jonah Heim hit a home run and Cuban Adolis García scored and drove in the run to excel in attack rangers, who were behind only once during the entire postseason.

Dominican left-handed Framber Valdez (0-2) He was tasked with getting the Astros back on track after last Sunday’s loss, but he was unable to complete that task, giving up five runs, four of which were earned, in just 2.2 innings, in which he struck out six batters.

With his performance this Monday, Valdez He allowed 10 runs in six innings of work in the postseason.

Cuban Jordan Alvarez He hit his second game with two home runs and leads the postseason with six home runs. He also scored three times and drove in two runs to be a bright spot in the Astros offense.

The first race in Rangers he got into the game by mistakeand Valdez with a throw to first base, on Robbie Grossman’s hit, which allowed Marcus Semien to reach the register.

The second result of the Texas team was pushed by the Cuban Adolis García cwith one belt in right field.

The Rangers’ offense continued with an unassailable hit to left field by comeback maker Mitch Garver.

Nathaniel Lowe He was tasked with sealing that productive first inning with a shot to left field, allowing Garcia to advance to the buzzer.

The Astros got on the board in the second chapter, with a solo home run by Cuban Álvarez, who sent Eovaldi’s pitcher over the wall between center and right field.

Jonah Heim was in charge of restoring the lead from four runs (1-5). rangers, hitting his first career postseason home run off Valdez in the third inning.

Alex Bregman added the home team’s second run in the fourth inning when he hit an outfield ball with no teammates on base.

They, led by Dusty Baker, seriously threatened in the top of the fifth inning, when after an error by third baseman Josh Jung on a hit by Dominican Jeremy Peña, the Astros put runners on all three bases, with no outs.

Faced with this difficulty, Eovaldi imposed his dominance, managing to knock out the Dominican Yainer Díaz and the Venezuelan Jose Altuve and forced Bregman to hit a ground ball to third base to end the threat without allowing a hit.

After missing a scoring opportunity in the fifth inning, the Astros came back in the sixth with Michael Brantley’s double to center field that Álvarez, showing his aggressive base running, scored from first.

Álvarez returned to the attack and in the eighth inning, with two outs, punished his compatriot, Cuban slugger Aroldis Chapman, with a line drive that went into the right field bleachers, cutting the Astros’ deficit to just one run (4-5).

After the host Alvarez, iDominican José Lecler (3) substituted Peddler and pitched 1.1 innings allowing no one to step on the plate for the save.

Dominican Rafael Montero He went 1.1 hitless innings and struck out two batters, while his compatriot Bryan Abreu pitched a scoreless inning and also recorded two strikeouts for the Astros.