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Sports

Rangers, Astros hope to put on power display in Houston

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

The power potential of the Rangers' lineup is well known throughout the league and that could spell trouble today for Astros starter Jordan Lyles.

Houston, though, may be able to keep up in the power department with Colby Lewis set to take the mound for Texas in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Lyles has made just two starts this season, but has allowed three homers over 12 innings. Two of those came on Tuesday in Philadelphia as he was charged with three runs -- one earned -- over six innings in his first outing since April 29. He was recalled from the minors prior to the outing and has a 3.00 earned run average without a decision this season.

"Lyles threw the ball extremely well. He did a great job coming up here for this," said impressed Astros manager Brad Mills.

Lyles, a 21-year-old righty, will start at home for the first time in 2012 and is 0-1 with a 5.54 ERA in two starts against Texas, yielding three homers over 13 innings.

Lewis, meanwhile, has allowed 12 homers over eight starts this season, including six in his last two outings. He yielded five longballs in a loss to the Orioles on May 10, then gave up another homer in a setback to the Royals five days later.

It was Lewis' third straight losing start and he was charged with seven runs, including just two earned after he committed a pair of errors in the 5 2/3- inning appearance. The righty is 3-3 with a 3.63 ERA on the year.

Lewis, 32, is 2-1 with a 1.97 ERA in seven career games versus the Astros, including four starts.

Houston hit a season-high three homers in Saturday's 6-5 victory to draw even in this series, getting two-run shots from Carlos Lee and Justin Maxwell as well as a solo homer by Chris Snyder.

Travis Buck added a pinch-hit, RBI double for the Astros, who rallied from an early 4-0 deficit to win for the third time in four games. Lucas Harrell got the win as he gave up four runs -- one earned -- on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.

The Rangers led by four runs after the top of the third as Adrian Beltre hit a run-scoring single two batters before David Murphy drilled a three-run inside- the-park home run.

Murphy's shot to center fell between Maxwell and Jordan Schafer before rolling all the way to the wall. Schafer and Maxwell nearly collided and Schafer suffered a left ankle sprain on the play that could hold him out of today's finale.

Derek Holland couldn't hold the lead for the Rangers, who have lost four of six. He was charged with five runs on five hits and two walks in five innings to suffer the loss.

"When you get a lead like that my job is to go down and shut them out. Obviously I didn't do that," Holland said. "It's just very frustrating for something like that, to come out and work hard. You get out there and barely make it five innings."

The Rangers have won this series in each of the past three seasons, with Texas winning four of six meetings in 2011. The defending American League champions have won 15 of their last 20 against the Astros as well as nine of their last 11 in Houston.