Rangers outlast AL West-leading Astros 4-3 in 12 innings to move closer to playoff spot

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dustin Harris hit a game-ending double in the 12th inning and the Texas Rangers beat the AL West-leading Houston Astros 4-3 on Friday night to close within a half-game of playoff position.

Harris, a rookie called up from the minors earlier in the day when Adolis García went on the 10-day injured list, grounded a ball past first base and down the right-field line. Cody Freeman, the automatic runner, scored from second base.

The Rangers (73-69) won for the 11th time in 15 games to move within four of Houston with 20 games left in the regular season — five of those head-to-head matchups. Texas is a half-game back of division-rival Seattle (73-68) for the final American League wild-card spot after the Mariners lost 4-1 at Atlanta.

Robert Garcia (3-7), the fifth Rangers pitcher, retired all three batters he faced in the 12th. Lance McCullers Jr. (2-5), the sixth Houston reliever, walked Wyatt Langford to open the bottom half.

Harris entered in the 10th as the automatic runner in place of Jake Burger, whose two-run homer, a 439-foot drive, put the Rangers up 3-1 in the third.

Carlos Correa went the opposite way for his two-out homer in the eighth off the foul pole in right field. It came right after Jose Altuve doubled to snap an 0-for-14 slide and tied the game 3-3.

Key moments

Texas came inches from winning in both the ninth and 10th. Langford’s two-out drive in the ninth ricocheted near the top of the 8-foot wall in left field for a double before Burger struck out. With a runner at third in the 10th, Ezequiel Duran’s bunt slowly and barely rolled foul.

Key stat

Houston-born Merrill Kelly limited the Astros to five singles and one run while striking out seven over seven innings. He is 2-1 with a 2.98 ERA in seven starts for Texas since being acquired from Arizona on July 31.

Up next

A matchup of All-Star right-handers Saturday when Hunter Brown (10-7, 2.34 ERA) starts for the Astros and Jacob deGrom (11-6, 2.69) goes for Texas.

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