They stepped up.

After an embarrassing defeat Monday and a frustrating defeat Tuesday, the Rangers were in danger of letting the Astros tie them for the lead.

The odds were stacked against them. Houston had its best pitcher. The Ranger had its number five starter. Andrew Heaney lived up to his reputation in the first, giving up three runs.

It really felt like the start of another frustrating day. 

But the Rangers picked themselves up and started hitting. And hitting. And hitting.

This looked like the early season Rangers. Piling on runs. Especially two-out runs. The most heart-crushing kind to the opponent.

With two outs in the third, and Marcus Semien at first after being hit by a pitch, Nathanial Lowe homers to pull the Rangers within one at 3-2. 

Then in the fourth inning, the first two Rangers got out. Then a single, double, single, home run, and two walks. 

Four runs.

Then came the fifth.

Josh Jung led off with an out. Sam Huff, filling in for Jonah Heim, who left with an injury, hit a home run. Then Mitch Garver grounded out. Two outs. Then triple, single, single, single, walk, home run.

Seven runs.

In the end, the Rangers scored thirteen runs, twelve after two outs, to beat the Astros 13-5.

When you talk about doing what they had to do, when you talk about backs against the wall, when you talk about rising to the occasion, that’s exactly what happened. 

They could have rolled over. Could have chalked the game up to another loss and moved on.

But this Rangers team showed us all something yesterday. They will not go down easy. 

They have a lot of fight in them. 

Now they just need to acquire a bullpen in the next week.

*****