Yordan Alvarez capped his second four-hit game of the season with a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning, helping the Houston Astros complete a three-game series sweep of the visiting Texas Rangers with a 7-3 victory on Sunday.
The Astros extended their lead in the American League West over the Rangers to 2 1/2 games by winning their sixth straight game and for the 11th time in 12. Houston has swept three of its last four series.
Texas forged a 3-3 tie in the top of the seventh when Brandon Nimmo socked his 11th homer off Astros left-hander Steven Okert, only for the Astros to answer with Christian Walker stroking a leadoff double.
Cam Smith snapped the deadlock with a single to left off Rangers reliever Cole Winn that scored Taylor Trammell. Two batters later, pinch-hitter LaMonte Wade Jr. added a run-scoring single that plated Jose Altuve for a 5-3 lead.
Winn rallied with a strikeout of Jeremy Pena, but Alvarez pounced on a first-pitch cutter, knocking it into right field and plating Smith and Nick Allen. Alvarez finished 4-for-5 with three doubles, two RBIs and a run scored.
Altuve spotted the Astros a 1-0 lead in the third when his infield single deflected off Rangers right-hander Kumar Rocker and scored Alvarez from third base. An inning later, Pena lined his 13th home run into the seats above the scoreboard in left, a two-run shot that drove home Smith and extended the Houston lead to 3-0.
Astros right-hander Peter Lambert retired the first 12 batters he faced. But Nimmo (walk) and Jake Burger (single) reached to open the fifth and scored in succession when Evan Carter and Ezequiel Duran followed with run-scoring singles. Lambert departed after allowing two runs on three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings, but his one-run lead vanished after Nimmo became just the second left-handed hitter to homer off Okert this season.
Astros reliever Bryan Abreu (3-3) earned the win in relief. Tyler Alexander (1-2) took the loss for the Rangers.
