Panzram
06-27-2004, 01:44 AM
Hank Blalock went 4-for-5 and slammed a tie- breaking solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Texas won its eighth consecutive game with an 8-7 decision over Houston, in the middle contest of a three-game interleague series at Ameriquest Field.
Blalock also scored three times and drove in a pair of runs, while Alfonso Soriano finished 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Brad Fullmer and David Dellucci each added two singles and a pair of RBI to the Rangers' 16-hit attack.
Craig Biggio went 2-for-5 with a home run for the Astros, who lost their second straight to their intrastate rivals and have now dropped three of four overall. Lance Berkman collected three RBI and Mike Lamb added a solo home run in defeat.
Blalock snapped a 7-7 deadlock when sent a 1-2 pitch from Dan Miceli into the right field seats with two out in the eighth. It was his 18th home run of the season.
"I knew (Miceli) had a good fastball and I kept that in the back of my mind," Blalock said. "We believe in ourselves and we always believe we can come back."
Carlos Almanzar (6-0) received the win after tossing a scoreless eighth inning, while Francisco Cordero kept Houston off the scoreboard in the ninth to earn his 22nd save.
"You can't underestimate how tough a save it was," said Texas manager Buck Showalter of Cordero's performance. "It was a challenging day to pitch."
Miceli (3-3) allowed a run on three hits and recorded three strikeouts in two innings of work.
The Astros trailed 7-3 before erupting for four runs in the seventh, highlighted by Berkman's three-run double, to tie the game. Brad Ausmus started the comeback with a one-out single and advanced to third on a Biggio double. Adam Everett then chased Texas starter John Wasdin by knocking in Ausmus with a base hit, and after reliever Frank Francisco walked Carlos Beltran to load the bases, Berkman cleared the sacks with a drive to deep center.
The teams were tied at 3-3 when the Rangers strung together four consecutive hits against Astros starter Tim Redding in the fifth. Michael Young began the inning with a single and scored on Blalock's double into the right field corner. After Soriano followed with a base hit, Fullmer greeted reliever Mike Gallo with a single that plated Blalock for a 5-3 lead.
Gallo then hit Mark Teixeira with a pitch to load the bases and Dellucci lifted a sacrifice fly to extend Texas' cushion to three runs.
Kevin Mench gave the Rangers a 7-3 lead with his seventh home run, a solo shot off Kirk Bullinger in the sixth.
The Rangers grabbed an early advantage by striking twice in the first. Blalock and Soriano laced back-to-back singles with one out and Fullmer followed with a RBI base hit to bring home the first run. Soriano then crossed the plate on a Teixeira grounder to put Texas up 2-0.
Houston cut its deficit in half in the second when Jeff Bagwell opened the frame with a double and came home on a two-out single by Brad Ausmus.
The Astros knotted the contest at 2-2 on Lamb's sixth homer of the season, which came off Wasdin with one out in the fourth.
Texas went back in front in the fourth when Dellucci singled in Teixeira, who led off the inning with a double, but Houston countered when Biggio launched his ninth home run to begin the fifth.
Wasdin was charged with six runs, eight hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. Redding surrendered six runs and 11 hits before leaving with two on and none out in the fifth.
Blalock also scored three times and drove in a pair of runs, while Alfonso Soriano finished 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Brad Fullmer and David Dellucci each added two singles and a pair of RBI to the Rangers' 16-hit attack.
Craig Biggio went 2-for-5 with a home run for the Astros, who lost their second straight to their intrastate rivals and have now dropped three of four overall. Lance Berkman collected three RBI and Mike Lamb added a solo home run in defeat.
Blalock snapped a 7-7 deadlock when sent a 1-2 pitch from Dan Miceli into the right field seats with two out in the eighth. It was his 18th home run of the season.
"I knew (Miceli) had a good fastball and I kept that in the back of my mind," Blalock said. "We believe in ourselves and we always believe we can come back."
Carlos Almanzar (6-0) received the win after tossing a scoreless eighth inning, while Francisco Cordero kept Houston off the scoreboard in the ninth to earn his 22nd save.
"You can't underestimate how tough a save it was," said Texas manager Buck Showalter of Cordero's performance. "It was a challenging day to pitch."
Miceli (3-3) allowed a run on three hits and recorded three strikeouts in two innings of work.
The Astros trailed 7-3 before erupting for four runs in the seventh, highlighted by Berkman's three-run double, to tie the game. Brad Ausmus started the comeback with a one-out single and advanced to third on a Biggio double. Adam Everett then chased Texas starter John Wasdin by knocking in Ausmus with a base hit, and after reliever Frank Francisco walked Carlos Beltran to load the bases, Berkman cleared the sacks with a drive to deep center.
The teams were tied at 3-3 when the Rangers strung together four consecutive hits against Astros starter Tim Redding in the fifth. Michael Young began the inning with a single and scored on Blalock's double into the right field corner. After Soriano followed with a base hit, Fullmer greeted reliever Mike Gallo with a single that plated Blalock for a 5-3 lead.
Gallo then hit Mark Teixeira with a pitch to load the bases and Dellucci lifted a sacrifice fly to extend Texas' cushion to three runs.
Kevin Mench gave the Rangers a 7-3 lead with his seventh home run, a solo shot off Kirk Bullinger in the sixth.
The Rangers grabbed an early advantage by striking twice in the first. Blalock and Soriano laced back-to-back singles with one out and Fullmer followed with a RBI base hit to bring home the first run. Soriano then crossed the plate on a Teixeira grounder to put Texas up 2-0.
Houston cut its deficit in half in the second when Jeff Bagwell opened the frame with a double and came home on a two-out single by Brad Ausmus.
The Astros knotted the contest at 2-2 on Lamb's sixth homer of the season, which came off Wasdin with one out in the fourth.
Texas went back in front in the fourth when Dellucci singled in Teixeira, who led off the inning with a double, but Houston countered when Biggio launched his ninth home run to begin the fifth.
Wasdin was charged with six runs, eight hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. Redding surrendered six runs and 11 hits before leaving with two on and none out in the fifth.