Rangers Take Series Lead Against Astros

Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

May 18, 2025

Rangers 5, Astros 1

ARLINGTON, Texas (May 17) — The Texas Rangers redeemed themselves after Friday night’s loss by beating the Houston Astros, 5–1, on Saturday. They were lifted to victory in this one thanks to home run performances by Joc Pederson and Wyatt Langford. The Rangers will go for a crucial series win over the Astros on Sunday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for noon Central at Globe Life Field. The Astros have yet to announce their starting pitcher, while righty Jack Leiter (3–2, 4.34 ERA) will take the mound for the Rangers.

Joc Jams

The Astros opened the scoring in the top of the first with Tyler Mahle on the mound for the Rangers. With two outs in the inning, Isaac Paredes singled to left. He scored moments later thanks to a double to center by Christian Walker.

The Rangers tied it in the bottom of the third off Astros starter Ronel Blanco. Kyle Higashioka led off with a walk, and Sam Haggerty moved him to third with a ground-rule double to right-center.

After Josh Smith flied to left, Langford scored Higashioka with an infield single that eluded Jeremy Pena at short.

Both teams proceeded to trade zeroes until the bottom of the sixth. Marcus Semien hit a sharp single to left with one out in the frame. On deck was Pederson, who gave the Rangers a 3–1 lead with a two-run blast to right.

They made it 5–1 in the bottom of the seventh off Astros reliever Bennett Sousa. He issued a walk to Haggerty to open the inning. Moments later, Haggerty stole second and advanced to third on a catching error by Pena at short. Up next was Smith, who plated Haggerty with a sacrifice fly to left.

The next batter was Langford. He blasted a solo shot to left for his ninth homer of the year.

What Went Right for the Rangers

The Rangers were great when it came to situational hitting on Saturday. They had several opportunities to drive in runs, and they cashed in on nearly all of them. Langford had two RBI hits including his home run, and Pederson had his long ball as well. The sellout crowd of 38,465 was appreciative the whole night.

What Went Wrong for the Rangers

The only problem the Rangers had in this one came in the form of Christian Walker. For the second night in a row, he hurt the Rangers with an RBI hit. He also homered against them in Friday’s contest.

Fifth Quality Start for Mahle

Rangers starter Tyler Mahle earned his fifth win and logged his sixth quality start of 2025 in his 10th outing of the year. His record improves to 5–1 with an ERA of 1.47. His line on the evening was 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R-ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 96 pitches/64 strikes. Mahle raised his ERA slightly from 1.469 to 1.473, which is still the third-best ERA among qualified pitchers this season.

Mahle surpassed 700 career innings pitched in the top of the third, becoming the fourth member of the Rangers rotation and 92nd active pitcher to reach the threshold. He has allowed two or fewer runs in 10 consecutive starts to open 2025, the longest such season-opening streak in club history and second-longest in franchise history, trailing only Barry Moore’s 11 consecutive starts of two or fewer runs in 1969.

Tough Loss for Blanco

Astros starter Ronel Blanco took the loss despite posting his fourth quality start of 2025 in his ninth start of the season and eighth career appearance against the Rangers. His line was 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R-ER, 3 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR, 92 pitches/59 strikes. He has recorded quality starts in each of his last four starts against the Rangers. His record now sits at 3–4 with an ERA of 4.10.

Blanco had not allowed a hit through his first eight batters before giving up the ground-rule double to Haggerty and an RBI infield single to Langford in the third.

Bochy’s Postgame Comments

After the game, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy gave his thoughts on Pederson’s homer. “I thought Joc saw the ball better tonight,” he said. “They all want to contribute. They have to feel good about their games. It’s a lineup that, when it gets clicking … you’re going to see everybody doing something to help us win the ballgame.”