The Houston Astros and their rookie-laden lineup were once again no match for Yu Darvish.
Darvish was nearly perfect against the Astros for a second time, taking a no-hit bid into the eighth inning and striking out a career-high 15 to lead the Texas Rangers to a 2-1 victory on Monday for their eighth straight win.
The low-budget Astros have the worst record in the majors and are barreling toward a third 100-loss season. Their latest lineup featured five rookies and no player with more than two years of major league experience.
“He doesn’t just have control. This guy has command,” Houston manager Bo Porter said. “He can throw every pitch the way he wants to throw it, even out of the strike zone. Which, when you have that kind of repertoire, you’re going to be up against it.”
Darvish dominated the Astros until Carlos Corporan lined a home run into the right-field seats with one out in the eighth for Houston’s only hit.
“It was nice. I got kind of excited because the guys’ been unbelievable,” Corporan said. “He’s been changing speeds and working with his slider up, away, inside, under the dirt. I mean, I don’t know. It’s just, ha, he was pretty good today.”