Astros cap sweep with 15-5 rout of Rangers
Corbin Martin excelled in his major league debut, while Alex Bregman and George Springer each hit two homers for the Houston Astros, who completed their first-ever four-game home sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 15-5 victory Sunday.
Martin (1-0), a second-round pick by the Astros in 2017, allowed two runs on three hits and one walk over 5 1/3 innings. The Houston native's nine strikeouts tied for the second most in franchise history in a debut.
The 23-year-old right-hander left to a rousing ovation from the sellout crowd when he departed after fanning Danny Santana in the sixth. Right-hander Collin McHugh, demoted to the bullpen to clear space for Martin in the rotation after a rough stretch of outings, entered in relief.
The Astros provided Martin ample run support, starting with Springer producing his 29th career leadoff home run against starter Adrian Sampson (0-3).
Houston added three runs in the second before chasing Sampson with a two-run fourth.
Bregman capped the second-inning uprising with a two-run home run that plated Springer and served as the Astros' third consecutive two-out hit. Tony Kemp preceded Springer's RBI single with a triple to center.
In the fourth inning, Carlos Correa delivered a two-out single that drove home Kemp and Springer, with Springer scoring on Santana's fielding error in center.
Sampson was charged with six runs (five earned) on nine hits with a walk and two strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings as the Rangers lost for the fifth time in six games. The Astros outscored Texas 33-11 in the series.
Bregman added a three-run blast in the fifth inning, driving home Kemp and Springer with his 12th homer of the season. That 421-foot shot off Rangers reliever Ariel Jurado went to center field.
Springer became the first player in club history to post five hits and five runs from the leadoff spot. His 15th home run came in the sixth inning and drove in Aledmys Diaz.
Springer finished 5-for-5 with four RBIs. Bregman, Correa and Kemp all recorded three-hit games as the Astros produced season highs in runs and hits (18).
--Field Level Media
