Marcus Semien delivered a go-ahead single, and the Rangers received strong relief pitching from six pitchers who held the Astros to just three hits over 5 1/3 innings, propelling Texas to a 7-2 victory on Saturday night despite Corey Seager’s two-run error.
Seager was part of a string of five consecutive Rangers hitters who registered hits off Houston closer Ryan Pressly, as the World Series champions capitalized with a four-run eighth inning to break open a tight contest. This marked the Rangers’ second consecutive win against the Astros at home, following a series in which they lost all three games at Globe Life Field while still managing to win last year’s seven-game AL Championship Series against their Texas rivals.
The Astros, who are the defending AL West champions and have secured six division titles in the past seven years, now find themselves five games below .500 just nine games into the season. This marks Houston’s deepest dip below .500 since June 2016, the year before the franchise embarked on its current MLB-record streak of seven consecutive ALCS appearances.
The fifth Texas reliever, Josh Sborz, nearly completed a perfect eighth inning, getting within an out before pausing after delivering a second-called strike to José Abreu.Corey Seager played a pivotal role in breaking open a closely contested game for Texas, contributing with an RBI single after an early two-run error by the star shortstop had given Houston the lead. 
The Rangers secured a 7-2 victory over the Astros on Saturday night, with Seager being one of five consecutive Rangers hitters to register hits off Houston closer Ryan Pressly during a four-run eighth inning surge for the World Series champions. Marcus Semien’s tiebreaking single in the sixth inning set the stage for the Rangers’ offensive outburst. Despite the Astros dropping their second consecutive game to the Rangers at home, after previously losing all three games at Globe Life Field while still winning last year’s seven-game AL Championship Series against their Texas rivals, they remain defending AL West champions with six division titles in the past seven years. 
However, Houston currently finds themselves five games under .500 just nine games into the season, marking their deepest descent below .500 since June 2016, the year before the club embarked on its current MLB-record streak of seven consecutive ALCS appearances. Despite the early-season struggles, first-year Houston manager Joe Espada maintains confidence in the team’s resilience and determination to bounce back. Josh Sborz, the fifth of six Texas relievers who limited Houston to three hits over the final 5 2/3 innings, came close to completing a perfect eighth inning, falling just an out short after delivering a second called strike to José Abreu.