Sports Network | June 19, 2010
Houston, TX (Sports Network) – Colby Lewis hurled his first career complete game and Justin Smoak added a two-run home run and three RBI as Texas topped Houston, 5-1, in the second of three in this interleague series from Minute Maid Park.
Michael Young added a solo homer for the Rangers, who won their season-best seventh straight game - all on the road -- during this nine-game swing. It’s a record for a franchise which came to the majors as the Washington Senators in 1961.
Lewis (7-4) won for the third straight time by allowing just a pair of hits and one run, with nine strikeouts.
Michael Bourn doubled and scored the lone run for the Astros, who slid to their seventh loss in eight tries.
Brian Moehler (0-4) was saddled with the loss despite allowing Smoak’s two-run homer in the second inning. The right-hander did walk four and struck out three.
Texas got on the board in the second as David Murphy walked with one out and came home on a two-run homer from Smoak.
Lewis retired the first 13 batters he faced until a one-out hit by Hunter Pence in the fifth. He was quickly erased on a double-play grounder from Pedro Feliz.
Houston wasn’t able to crack the scoreboard until the seventh, when Bourn hit a leadoff double, advanced on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.
The Rangers tacked on two more in the eighth. Josh Hamilton singled with two down and Murphy walked before Smoak’s base hit with runners on first and second brought in a run. Vladimir Guerrero’s pinch-hit single followed and scored Murphy for a 4-1 game.
Young’s solo shot in the ninth gave Texas a four-run bulge and Lewis closed out the game by sending down nine in a row after Bourn’s double.
Texas has owned the interleague set between the clubs, winning seven of eight since the start of last season and 14 of the last 20 matchups…Lewis had previously pitched nine innings once this season, on April 30 at Seattle, a game which Texas won 2-0 in the 12th inning…Moehler hasn’t won since August 22, 2009 against Arizona.