The Rangers rolled into Houston last night, losers of three in a row, searching for an offense that had all but disappeared the last three games.
With Vicente Padilla placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained shoulder, rookie Derek Holland made his first career major league start and didn't disappoint. Holland pitched 5 2/3 innings, struck out four and didn't walk a single hitter. The final hitter he faced, Astros slugger Lance Berkman, hit a three-run homerun. Before that, Holland hadn't allowed a single run. He left the game with a two run lead.
"I saw him use all his pitches," Rangers manager Ron Washington said about Holland. "A couple times they went up there trying to get him to throw some pitches and he would throw a first-pitch strike."
Texas got homeruns from both Elvis Andrus (who went 4 for 5 w/ a stolen base) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia to pace Texas to the early lead, a lead which was given away by poor relief pitching from Jason Jennings and C.J. Wilson. After surrendering back-to-back one-out singles in the eighth, Wilson was pulled for Darren O'Day, who entered and got Tejada to hit into an inning-ending double play.
In the top of the 10th, Nelson Cruz hit an opposite field solo homerun to put Texas up 6-5.
Frank Francisco, fresh off a stint on the DL, came in to pitch the bottom of the 10, blowing the Astros hitters away with 97 mph fastballs.
"I just went out there and pounded the strike zone," Francisco said. "I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I've got seven guys behind me and I was just trying to throw my pitch."
Francisco is now 10-for-10 in save opportunities this year. He has yet to allow a run in 15 2/3 innings over 15 games.
Lance Berkman summed up the mood in the Astros locker room after the game.
"A loss is a loss, but whenever you fight hard and come back and you're in the game again then you end up tying the game. To lose a game like that is difficult," Berkman said.
The winner of this series receives the Silver Boot.
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