Flirting with history, Astros take first of the series

ARLINGTON — Well, they weren’t no-hit.

Barely.

The Rangers totaled 31 hits (and 17 runs) in the first two games of their four-game home series vs. the Houston Astros. They had just two — an Adolis Garcia single in the sixth inning, and a Justin Foscue RBI single in the ninth — in Sunday’s 3-1 loss at Houston starter Ronel Blanco flirted with history. The 30-year-old right-hander no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, and tried to join an exclusive club six days later; only Cincanitti’s Johnny Vander Meer (1938) has ever thrown a no-hitter in consecutive starts.

Texas avoided that, at least. Not much else worked on the offensive end though.

Here are three observations from the Rangers’ first loss in this year’s installment of the Silver Boot Series.

So much for that offense: The whole “had just two hits” thing might’ve spoiled this category. Blanco held the Rangers hitless through 5 and 2/3 innings until Garcia grounded a slider away back up the middle for the Rangers’ first base hit. Rangers rookie Justin Foscue, who was promoted to the major leagues on Tuesday after third baseman Josh Jung broke his wrist against the Tampa Bay Rays, recorded his first career hit in the ninth inning vs. Astros closer Josh Hader.

Foscue, who pinch hit for Evan Carter, slapped a 97.5-mph sinker from Hader up the middle to drive in Garcia (walk) for his first career hit and RBI.

That was about it.

Aside from a pair of full-count walks from Carter and Jared Walsh in the second inning and two more walks from Josh Smith and Travis Jankowski in the fourth, there wasn’t a whole lot doing for the Rangers. Most notably: Texas’ top three hitters (Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford) combined to go 0 for 12 with seven flyouts.

It wasn’t fluky, either. Against Blanco, the Rangers only batted three balls into play with an expected batting average higher than .220; a Seager flyout in the third inning, a Semien groundout in the fifth and Garcia’s single.

Dane Dunning’s start: Outside of one singular inning, it wasn’t all that bad.

That one inning turned out to be the final blow, though.

Dunning, in the third, issued one-out, full-count walks to No. 9 hitter Jake Meyers and leadoff hitter Jose Altuve. Designated hitter Yordan Alavarez made him pay, and drilled an inside cutter 378 feet into the right field stands for a three-run home run.

“It wasn’t really [the home run], it’s the two walks before that,” Dunning said. “I had Meyers set up and walked him on a 3-2 … I thought I threw a quality pitch to Altuve, didn’t get the call, that happens. From there I need to bear down and make a pitch to Yordan.”

Dunning lasted 6 and 2/3 innings, allowed just those three runs on four hits and three walks, and struck out seven batters.

Best emergency preparedness: Right-handed pitcher Grant Anderson was not on the major league roster Sunday morning. But, after the Rangers place reliever Josh Sborz on the 15-day injured list with a right rotator cuff strain, Texas recalled Anderson.

He made his season debut in the top of the seventh inning in relief of Dunning. With Jeremy Pena on second base, Anderson struck out Houston leadoff hitter Jose Altuve to end the eighth. Anderson fell behind 3-0 in the count, but rallied back with three-straight called strikes to ring Altuve up.

Twitter: @McFarland_Shawn

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