Brad Peacock (5-5, 5.24) vs Yu Darvish (13-9, 2.81)
File this one under "Closer Than We Thought It Would Be," at least. In the throes of a 10-game losing streak and facing the one pitcher who has dominated them like no other this season, tonight was not a game that anyone thought the Astros would win. And they didn't, but at least it was a lot more interesting to watch than the previous night's debacle. Rangers beat the Astros 3-2, the losing streak is now at 11, and the season record is now 51-107 - tying last year's loss total with four games still to play.
On the Mound:
*Brad Peacock is a stud, y'all. Tonight he went toe to toe with Yu Darvish and very nearly out-dueled him, ending his season with another solid performance, regardless of the loss. Line: 6 IP / 6 H / 3 R / 3 ER / 1 BB / 7 K.
*Kevin Chapman allowed a single and recorded two outs in the 7th.
*Then Josh Zeid allowed only a single and an obviously unintentional HBP (to which Adrian Beltre took offense anyway) in the final 1.1 IP.
At the Plate:
*No perfect games here, and Matt Dominguez was the big bat of the night, blasting his 21st home run to tie the game at 2 in the 6th. He finished 1 for 3 with a BB.
*Jose Altuve continues to finish strong, with another 2 for 5 performance and a run scored tonight.
*Marc Krauss (1 for 3, BB, 2 K), Brandon Laird (1 for 2, K), and Brandon Barnes (1 for 4, 3 K) each had a single apiece.
*Chris Carter was 0 for 3 with 3 K, but had the other Astros RBI on a bases-loaded sac fly in the 1st.
Turning Point:
Down 2-1 going into the 6th, Matt Dominguez quickly tied it up with a leadoff homer against Darvish. But Adrian Beltre answered with a solo homer of his own in the Rangers' half of the frame, putting Texas back on top. The Astros would get runners to third in both the 7th and the 8th, but they couldn't push the tying run home, so that was the ballgame.
Man of the Match:
Brad Peacock. Give the dude credit - after a horrendous April and getting demoted to OKC with a 9.41 ERA, he finished the year with a 3.64 ERA over 9 starts in August and September.
Goat of the Game:
Plenty of bats to choose from, but we'll go with Carlos Corporan, as he had the most opportunities to do good and didn't: 0 for 4 with a K and 4 LOBsters, and a throwing error added in to boot.
