Rangers Come up Empty in World Series Rematch
Texas Offense Struggles to Keep Pace with Houston Astros
Gerrit Cole Dominant in Return to Houston, Chris Bassitt Strong in Texas Debut
The Texas Rangers fell to the Houston Astros 7-0 on Tuesday night, failing to avenge their World Series loss from last year. The Astros jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back, while the Rangers struggled to generate any offensive momentum. Gerrit Cole was dominant in his return to Houston, striking out 11 Rangers batters over seven innings. He allowed just three hits and two walks, and lowered his ERA to 2.88. Chris Bassitt was strong in his Rangers debut, allowing three runs on seven hits over five innings, with eight strikeouts, but he took the loss and his ERA rose to 3.48. The Rangers offense has only scored one run in their last 24 innings, and they are now 0-2 against the Astros in 2023. The Rangers will look to avoid a sweep on Wednesday night when they face the Astros in the rubber match of the three-game series.The Rangers' offense has been struggling all season, and they are now hitting just .228 as a team. They have scored the fewest runs in the American League, and they are 29th in the league in on-base percentage. The Rangers have failed to score more than three runs in each of their last five games, and they have been shut out twice in that span.
The Astros, on the other hand, have been one of the best offenses in baseball all season. They are hitting .283 as a team, and they lead the league in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The Astros have scored at least five runs in each of their last five games, and they have homered 10 times in that span.
The Rangers will need to find a way to generate more offense if they want to avoid a sweep in Houston. They will also need to get a better performance from their starting pitching. Bassitt was solid in his debut, but he will need to be even better if the Rangers want to win on Wednesday night.
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