Keuchel, Astros snap losing skid

ASTROS 2, RANGERS 1 AMERICAN LEAGUE

ARLINGTON, Texas — Dallas Keuchel did what aces do: stop their team’s longest losing streak of the season.

Keuchel (Arkansas Razorbacks) took a shutout into the sixth inning, Jose Altuve hit a home run and the AL-leading Houston Astros ended a five-game skid and avoided a sweep by their Texas rival, beating the Rangers 2-1 on Sunday.

Carlos Beltran had a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh. Adrian Beltre’s 12th home run of the season and 3,015th career hit had pulled the Rangers even at 1-1 in the sixth.

Keuchel (10-2) struck out seven in 62/3 innings for his first victory since June 2 against the Rangers, just before the lefty’s nearly two-month stint on the disabled list. It was the 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner’s fourth start since his second trip to the DL for neck soreness.

Keuchel had lost two in row, that skid coming after a career-best 11-game winning

career-best 11-game winning streak going back to last season.

It was just the third victory in 12 games in August for the AL West-leading Astros.

“It’s amazing how many people start freaking out when you don’t have a couple good starts,” Keuchel said. “The world’s ending or you’re not as good any more. You’re a scrub. Stay the course, and that’s good. That’s what you’ve got to do if you want to last in this game.”

Joey Gallo lined into an inning-ending double play with runners at second and third in the Texas eighth against Ken Giles. First baseman Yuli Gurriel

caught Gallo’s smash and threw to second behind Drew Robinson, who was running for Beltre.

Giles struck two in the ninth for his 23rd save.

“It’s challenging to sweep a series,” said Texas Manager Jeff Banister, who was ejected in a wild top of the fifth. “Happy with how we played, happy with the effort. There’s a lot of tremendous takeaways in this series and in this game.”

Altuve’s 17th home run came in the fourth off Andrew Cashner (7- 9), the Houston-area native who was scratched from his previous scheduled start at the New York Mets because of neck stiffness. The right-hander went seven innings as a three-game winning streak that matched a career best came to an end.

Keuchel