Cristian Javier didn’t last long in his start Sunday, forcing the Astros to dip into their bullpen early in a walk-off loss to the Rangers.
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Houston Astros center fielder Brice Matthews can’t make a leaping play on a triple by Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung during the first inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Arlington.
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Josh Jung of the Texas Rangers is a safe with a triple ahead of the throw to Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes during the first inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom looks out from the dugout prior to a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers pitcher MacKenzie Gore tosses a rosin bag as Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros round the bases after hitting a home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Arlington.
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 12: Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros singles against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 12: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 12: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros hits a solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 12: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 12: Bryan Abreu #52 of the Houston Astros delivers against the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 12: Cristian Javier #53 of the Houston Astros pitches against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
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ARLINGTON — A chance for the Houston Astros to charge into the All-Star break fizzled in the finale of a lackluster first half. Walked off by their in-state rivals Sunday, the Astros reached the respite four games under .500, with clear work to do to salvage their season.
The Texas Rangers handed them a 6-5 loss by doing what no team had done this season — mount a true rally against closer Josh Hader. Brandon Nimmo capped it with a ground-ball single through a drawn-in Astros infield to delight the home crowd at Globe Life Field.
Hader entered a tied game in the ninth, after the Rangers had erased a 5-4 deficit on Kyle Higashioka’s home run off Bryan King in the eighth. In his first 16 outings of the season, Hader had faced 57 batters and allowed three hits.
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Wyatt Langford, Josh Jung and Nimmo struck consecutive singles against Hader to produce the winning run. The Astros are 47-51 and enter the break three games behind the Rangers, who lead the AL West with a 49-47 record.
Houston trailed 4-1 entering the seventh. A Jose Altuve home run comprised its offense to that point. Altuve had also struck out twice to end innings with two runners on base, part of a lack of timely hits that Isaac Paredes salved.
Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out. Pinch-hitter Yainer Diaz drew the walk, only his sixth this season in 172 plate appearances. Jeremy Peña’s drive to left-center field died on the warning track for a sacrifice fly.
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Yordan Alvarez strode to the plate. Texas took no chances. An intentional walk sent the potential tying run into scoring position. Parades capitalized, serving a full-count fastball from Peyton Gray into center field for a game-tying, two-run single.
King stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning to keep it 4-4. King had endured a rough outing Friday, allowing two homers in a four-run inning. He became the fourth Astros reliever to work Sunday after a short start by Cristian Javier.
Javier lasted three innings in his first start since an IL stint, including a two-run second. Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore allowed only Altuve’s solo home run in his four innings. Nimmo struck an RBI triple off Bryan Abreu to extend a lead Houston would erase.
Steven Okert, Enyel De Los Santos and Abreu all worked before King entered. AJ Blubaugh pitched two innings Saturday. Hader is not an option for multiple innings. After a 21-pitch seventh inning, King returned for the eighth, over righties Nate Pearson and Alimber Santa.
King got two outs before Higashioka, the Rangers catcher and No. 9 hitter, lined a fastball over the left-field wall. Before Friday, King had not allowed a home run to a right-handed hitter all season. Texas’ third in three days sent a tied game into the ninth.
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Javier’s short start
Stowed in the bullpen upon his return from a shoulder strain, Javier started Sunday in what might have amounted to a test run for a potential rotation role in the second half. It figured to be truncated. Javier threw 85 pitches in his last minor-league rehab start but did not exceed 39 pitches in his first two relief outings after being activated.
“We’re going to monitor him closely,” manager Joe Espada said pregame.
Action began in Houston’s bullpen by the second inning. Javier allowed four Rangers to reach in a five-batter span that started with a walk to Ezequiel Duran. Evan Carter doubled. Nicky Lopez lined a single that scored Texas’ first run. Javier struck out Kyle Higashioka, but Joc Pederson’s drive into right-center eluded Taylor Trammell’s sliding attempt on the warning track.
Two runs scored on Pederson’s double. Wyatt Langford flied out to the wall in right to end the inning. Javier returned for the third and navigated two walks in a scoreless frame that proved his last. Javier threw 60 pitches. Rangers hitters averaged a 95.4 mph exit velocity on nine balls put into play against him. Javier did induce 10 whiffs on 30 swings, six on his four-seamer.
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Four from Gore
Gore reportedly volunteered to start the first-half finale for Texas on just three days’ rest, following a lopsided last outing against the Angels in which he allowed seven runs. The left-hander worked on a limited pitch count as a result. Houston carved into it in the first inning but could not capitalize. Gore allowed only Altuve’s solo home run over four innings.
Five hitters made Gore throw 28 pitches in the first. Yordan Alvarez struck a one-out single. Christian Walker drew a two-out walk. Altuve worked the third full count of the inning against Gore but, on its seventh pitch, swung through a high fastball for strike three. It started a stretch of Gore retiring nine consecutive batters.
Altuve ended it by driving a fastball just over the left-field wall with two outs in the fourth. Cam Smith followed with a sharp grounder up the third base line. Josh Jung made a diving stop and strong throw across the diamond to rob him of a hit. Gore finished at 65 pitches, handing a 3-1 lead to the Rangers’ bullpen after the fourth.
Matthews exits
Center fielder Brice Matthews was removed from the game in the second inning, shortly after he hit the wall pursuing a fly ball. The Astros said Matthews left the game with a “left knee injury.”
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Matthews leapt and collided with the wall chasing Josh Jung’s two-out drive in the first. Matthews may have kept the ball from clearing the wall, but it popped out of his glove and Jung ended up with a triple.
After retrieving the ball and throwing it in, Matthews went into a crouch on the outfield grass. A trainer and manager Joe Espada went out to check on him. Matthews stayed in the game and finished the first inning on defense. But Taylor Trammell pinch-hit for him in the top of the second.
Rehab updates
Ronel Blanco threw 4 ⅓ scoreless innings in his rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, allowing four hits and two walks. Blanco, returning from Tommy John surgery threw 68 pitches in what could be his final tuneup before the Astros consider activating him from the injured list, one of several decisions they face with their pitching staff in the second half.
Hayden Wesneski, also returning from Tommy John surgery, threw 4 ⅔ innings and struck out seven in his Triple-A rehab start Saturday. Wesneski, who threw 61 pitches, will require at least one more rehab outing, Espada said.
Relievers Bennett Sousa (elbow inflammation) and Kai-Wei Teng (knee sprain) are both scheduled for rehab outings Monday in the Florida Complex League. Both could be “in the conversation to rejoin our bullpen after the break,” said Espada, who added the Astros will have “some really tough decisions to make here in the next couple of days.”