That thud sound you heard was the Rangers winning streak coming to an abrupt end.
It happened in the top of the seventh inning with the Rangers holding a 2-0 lead when, after Texas got the first two out, and with Houston having a runner on first, the wheels fell off.
A double scored the first two-out run. Enter Shawn Armstrong to nail down that last out. Which he was unable to do.
He walked the first two Astros he faced to load the bases, which is always a recipe for disaster.
Disaster came.
A single scored two to turn the game around, giving the Astros a 3-2 lead. Three pitches later, a home run made it 6-2.
One thing the Rangers have shown this season is an inability to come from behind late in a game. In all fairness, four runs is a lot to ask of any team.
It was too much to ask of this Rangers team, who managed only five hits. Their last one being a Josh Smith solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to make it 6-3.
Too little, too late. And, it turns out, too much Shawn Armstrong, who got the save in a razor-thin 1-0 game the night before but coughed up the victory last night.
The Rangers might be experiencing a bullpen issue with Luke Jackson and Chris Martin unable to throw.
It forces guys to throw more than they should in situations they shouldn’t.
And just like that, the Rangers six-game winning streak is over.
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