50-47 - Rangers lose dinger duel to Astros 4-3

Mike Minor and Justin Verlander dueled tonight in what ended up being a very baseball-in-2019 kind of game where the Astros jumped on Minor for four solo home runs — including three in the bottom of the third — before the Rangers finally got to Verlander with a couple of solo bombs themselves in the top of the sixth.

In total, the two top starters combined to strike out 22 batters (Minor 10, Verlander 12) with the difference in this one mostly coming down to Verlander incredibly collecting a strikeout in every at-bat on the night where the Rangers had a baserunner in scoring position.

After allowing four home runs in the first three innings, Minor buckled down and finished with a better-than-it-looked-like-it-was-headed seven inning outing but the Rangers couldn’t muster that final run to get him off the hook for a loss.

Player of the Game: It only took nearly 100 games into the 2019 season but Asdrubal Cabrera hit his first home run on the road this season. Cabrera also doubled and drew a walk against likely 2019 Cy Young winner Verlander and later added a single in his final at-bat.

Up Next: The Rangers and Astros are back at it tomorrow evening with RHP Ariel Jurado scheduled to make the start for Texas against TBD for Houston. Saturday’s first pitch from Minute Maid Park is scheduled for 6:10 pm CT.