Justin Verlander pitched himself to another win Tuesday night as the Astros beat the Rangers, 4-1.
Verlander earned win number 19 of the season which is the best in the MLB. JV pitched six strong innings in which he did not surrender a run. He struck out eight, gave up four hits and walked two. Verlander also has the best ERA in the American League at 2.50. Roberto Osuna pitched a scoreless 9th to record his 34th save.
Yuli Gurriel hit a solo shot in the 5th inning to get the Astros on the board followed by Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez who hit back-to-back jacks an inning later to make it 3-0. George Springer hit an RBI single in the 7th to extend the lead which would seal the win. Robinson Chirinos had two hits in the win which included a triple.
Gerrit Cole will take the mound in the series finale Wednesday night.