Rangers Defeat Astros in 12th Inning, Close AL West Gap

The Texas Rangers defeated the AL West-leading Houston Astros 4-3 in 12 innings to move within four games of Houston and a half-game of the Seattle Mariners for the final American League wild-card spot. Rookie Dustin Harris, called up earlier that day, delivered the game-winning double, scoring Cody Freeman in the bottom of the 12th inning. The Rangers, who have won 11 of their last 15 games, overcame a 1-0 deficit with Jake Burger hitting a 439-foot two-run homer, the longest by a Ranger at home this season. Merrill Kelly pitched seven strong innings for Texas, allowing one run and striking out seven since joining the team at the trade deadline. The Astros have lost five of their past seven games and fell to 3-5 in the Silver Boot Series, suffering their eighth walk-off loss of the year. The teams continue their crucial three-game series with a matchup between All-Star pitchers Hunter Brown and Jacob deGrom on Saturday.