ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Jose Altuve homered, the Houston bullpen pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings and the Astros beat the Texas Rangers 5-1 on Thursday in the last game before they return to their flood-ravaged home city.
Josh Reddick added an RBI single for the AL West-leading Astros, who avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of their instate rivals at Tropicana Field, where the series was relocated because of Hurricane Harvey.
Houston will have a previously unscheduled day off Friday and play a doubleheader Saturday against the Mets at Minute Maid Park. The downtown Houston stadium escaped major flood damage. Astros president Reid Ryan has said he hopes the weekend games ”can serve as a welcome distraction” for the city.
For the Rangers, it was their first loss all year at the Tampa Bay Rays’ home park. They swept the Rays in a three-game series in June.
Chris Devenski (7-3) worked 2 1/3 innings in relief of Collin McHugh to get the win. Ken Giles pitched the final two innings for his 27th save in 30 opportunities.
McHugh allowed one unearned run, but bench coach Alex Cora pulled him one out short of a potential victory. Cora was managing in place of A.J. Hinch, who was ejected by second-base umpire Joe West for arguing a catcher’s interference call in the first.
McHugh allowed four hits, walked two, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch in 4 2/3 innings.
Altuve’s home run, his 21st, came off Nick Martinez (3-6) in the first. Reddick put the Astros ahead with an RBI single in the fourth.
Martinez allowed two runs in five innings and struck out six.
Alex Bregman had an RBI single in the eighth, and Derek Fisher, who entered the game as a pinch runner, followed with a two-out, two-run single in his only at-bat.
Nomar Mazara drove in the Rangers’ only run with a fielder’s choice in the first.
BELTRE HURT
Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre, who got his 3,000th career hit this season, pulled up with a strained left hamstring while fielding a grounder in the seventh and was immediately pulled from the game.
Beltre, who missed 51 games at the start of this season with calf issues, said after the game that he would have an MRI on Friday.
”It’s too soon to tell. Get an MRI tomorrow and see where we’re at,” Beltre said. ”Today, it doesn’t really feel good.”
NO-FIELD ADVANTAGE
Joey Gallo hit what looked like a potential home run in the fourth for the Rangers, but the ball hit the B-ring on the catwalk at Tropicana Field and fell in the field of play. Gallo settled for a double and didn’t score.
GOOD SEATS AVAILABLE
The final game of the relocated three-game series drew 3,385 fans, the smallest crowd of the series. Attendance for Wednesday’s game was 6,123.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: DH Carlos Beltran was hit on the foot by a pitch in the seventh and was removed from the game. … C Evan Gattis was placed on the 10-day DL with right wrist soreness. … RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (back) gave up two runs over five innings for Double-A Corpus Christi in his second rehab start.
UP NEXT
Rangers: LHP Cole Hamels will look for his 10th win of the season in the opener of a home series against the Angels.
Astros: After a day off, the Astros will send RHP Charlie Morton and RHP Brad Peacock to the mound on Saturday against the Mets in a doubleheader at Minute Maid Park.
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