Jonathan Lucroy hit the third Ranger home run in the span of four batters to put a nail in the coffin of the Houston Astros’ already razor-thin division hopes.

For a brief moment, the Houston Astros must have thought they actually had a chance. They scored two quick runs in top of the first to take a 2-0 lead.

Astros faithful immediately began praying for rain.

When the Rangers didn’t score in the bottom of the first, the mayor of Houston called for a parade down Crawford Street.

But their optimism started to wane the next crack the Rangers had at Astros pitching.

It was 2-2 after two.

But after a scoreless third from both, the Astros were issuing playoff tickets.

Then, it all fell apart. The Rangers showed up in the fourth. Or, more aptly, the Astros showed up.

It was a blitzkrieg of offense. Moreland single. Gomez single, Andrus double. Mazara sac fly. Beltran home run. Beltre walk. Odor home run. Lucroy home run. Texas 9, Houston 2.

By the time the Rangers stopped scoring, it was 10-3.

Of course, the Rangers bullpen tried desperately to make it a one-run game in order to pad the team’s one-run games stats. But they were able to give back only five more runs, not six.

In the end, the Rangers won 10-8. Beating the Astros for the twelfth time fourteen games this season, and the twentieth time in their last twenty-four games.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Joe Musgrove (2-1, 4.36) vs. Derek Holland (6-6, 4.68)
Game time: 3:05

How the Astros hit against Holland.
How the Rangers hit against Musgrove.