Alvarez, Astros Edge Rangers

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

May 27, 2026

Astros 4, Rangers 3

ARLINGTON, Texas (May 27) — The Texas Rangers dropped a close one to the Houston Astros, 4–3, Wednesday night. A second consecutive multi-homer game by Yordan Alvarez helped seal the deal for the Astros. The Rangers, meanwhile, will go for the split in this four-game set Thursday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm Central at Globe Life Field. Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (6–1, 1.32 ERA) will go up against fellow righty Nathan Eovaldi (5–5, 3.65 ERA).

Another Big Game for Alvarez

The Rangers took a 1–0 lead in the bottom of the first against right-hander Mike Burrows. Joc Pederson led off with a single and scampered to second on a wild pitch from Burrows to Alejandro Osuna, who ultimately lined to left. Pederson crossed the dish thanks to a single to right by Brandon Nimmo.

The Astros tied it up in the top of the second off righty Jacob deGrom, who was shooting for his 100th career win. Taylor Trammell put himself into scoring position with a leadoff double to right. He moved to third on a fly to right by Cam Smith and later scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Braden Shewmake.

In the bottom of the third, Pederson gave the Rangers a 2–1 lead on a leadoff blast to right-center. It was his fifth homer of the year.

The Astros knotted it up again in the top of the fourth on a solo bomb to center by Alvarez on a 2–2 pitch. He did it again in the top of the eighth with a leadoff shot to center off reliever Tyler Alexander. This gave the Astros a 3–2 lead. It was the 20th home run of this season for Alvarez. It was the fifth time that he has gone deep in this series alone.

A free pass was issued to Christian Walker to follow and he scored on a sacrifice bunt back to the mound by Trammell, and a throwing error by Alexander. Trammell advanced to third on the play.

The Rangers cut the lead to 4–3 in the bottom of the eighth off reliever Bryan King. It came on a leadoff line-drive homer to right-center by Pederson, his sixth of the season and his second of the evening.

What Went Right for the Astros

Alvarez proved to be a thorn in the Rangers side for a third straight night. He already has five long balls in this series with one game remaining. There’s synchronized swimming and then there’s synchronized screaming, which is exactly what the crowd of 27,073 did when Alvarez hit his second dinger of the night.

What Went Wrong for the Astros

The Rangers may have had to deal with Alvarez, but on the other side, the Astros had to deal with Pederson. He clubbed two bombs of his own as his bat continues to awaken.

deGrom Goes Six

Rangers starter Jacob deGrom put together his fourth quality start of the year but did not factor into tonight’s decision. His line was 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R-ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HR, a season-high 97 pitches/62 strikes. Three of his four quality starts have come at Globe Life Field, where he owns a 1.52 ERA in five starts this season. It is the fourth-lowest ERA by a Rangers pitcher through five home starts this century.

Alexander was saddled with the loss in relief after surrendering the lead. His record now sits at 1–1 with an ERA of 2.25.

Burrows’ Outing

Astros starter Mike Burrows picked up his third win of the year. He matched a career high with seven innings, allowing five hits and two runs, both earned. After the RBI single by Nimmo in the first, the right hander has now yielded a run in the first inning in five of eleven starts this year.

After tossing an inning and two thirds with three strikeouts, the save went to closer Enyel De Los Santos, his fourth of 2026.

Schumaker’s Postgame Comments

After the game, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker gave his take on the game. “We were back to where we were two nights ago when I expected there to be a lot more runs scored by both teams,” he remarked. “Joc (Pederson) did what he could but he’s only one guy in our lineup. After Brandon (Nimmo) had his RBI single in the first, I thought we were in good shape going forward. This is a weird game at times, and you really can’t sit still for any of it. Sometimes you succeed when you think you might fail and vice versa.”

Schumaker also commented on deGrom’s night. “It was a grind for him,” he continued. “I think this was one of the first times in his career when his first pitch of the game was a slider, and he threw 49 more after that. He went six innings, but it wasn’t a breeze for him. He was tired at the end.”