Rangers 1, Astros 0

• Hell of a game there.
• Jacob deGrom went eight shutout innings and threw 96 pitches, tying for the most pitches he’s thrown in a game this year.
• The weird thing is, he didn’t seem super-sharp. I mean, he was really good, but not the sort of untouchable level you’d expect from him going eight shutout innings. His command of his slider wavered at times, and he allowed some loud contact.
• deGrom definitely benefitted from some quality outfield defense, with Evan Carter making a terrific running, jumping catch to prevent extra bases and Adolis Garcia making multiple acrobatic plays in right.
• deGrom was also very efficienct, getting through eight innings and 30 batters. A huge boost for the team, given that Chris Martin and Luke Jackson were once again unavailable, and Robert Garcia, who had pitched three times in the previous four days, being someone that Bruce Bochy wanted to stay away from. Given that Hoby Milner is unlikely to be used due to the dearth of lefty hitters on the club, that left Jacob Webb, Shawn Armstrong, Jacob Latz, and the newly called up Cole Winn as the viable bullpen options.
• Armstrong pitched the ninth and got the save. deGrom going deep saved Bruce Bochy from having to make some tough decisions with his relievers.
• Hunter Brown was excellent, as he has been just about all season. The Rangers hitters were largely stymied by him, which was a reflection of how well he was locating and how good his stuff was. He ended up with an eight inning complete game, the one run he was tagged with being from an opposite field Jake Burger home run.
• Man, you have to think that, if you’re an Astros fan, you’re punching a wall after this game.
• Facing a mostly righthanded lineup, deGrom was able to go almost exclusively with his slider (which he threw 50 times) and his fastball (which he threw 40 times).
• Jacob deGrom hit 99.2 mph on his fastball, averaging 97.9 mph. Shawn Armstrong reached 94.9 mph with his fastball.
• Adolis Garcia had a 112.0 mph double. Joc Pederson had a 108.5 mph lineout. Jake Burger had a 108.3 mph single and a 108.1 mph home run.
• The Rangers have a six game winning streak for the first time since the 2023 playoffs. They’re a half-game out of first. Things are looking up.