HOUSTON — Whereas Game 1 of the American League Championship was a pitcher's duel, Game 2 saw both teams' bats awaken.
Four homers were smashed out of play over the course of Monday's Minute Maid Park-hosted matchup between the Rangers and the Astros.
Three of them came on Houston's side -- and two of those came courtesy of all-world Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who blasted a pair of statement solo shots into the right field stands over the course of the game.
Those sparks were still no match for the Rangers, though, whose own offensive production kept up with the pace they've shown all season long. In the end, the Rangers would hang on for a 5-4 win in Game 2, remaining unbeaten through seven postseason games this year.
While the Astros mustered their Game 2 runs through displays of power, the Rangers mostly dinked and dunked their way to scoring. The bulk of their damage was done in the first inning, too, as the Texas scored four runs through a combination of five singles and one runner reaching base on error.
The entire Rangers lineup earned at-bats in that opening frame, putting Astros starter Framber Valdez on the backfoot early on in the contest. He'd last only 2 and 2/3 innings in his Game 2 start.
On the other side of the proceedings, Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi once again proved himself a big-game postseason player, striking out nine batters while allowing three Astros runs through six innings pitched.
Alvarez started the scoring for Houston when he blasted his first of two homers on the day in the bottom of the second inning. Rangers catcher Jonah Heim then responded with a solo shot of his own in the top of the third to bring the score to 5-1.
Slowly but surely, though, the Astros further chipped away at the Rangers' lead -- first with a solo homer from third baseman Alex Bregman in the bottom of the fourth, next with an Alex Brantley RBI double in the sixth and then Alvarez's second solo homer in the eight.
What appeared the Astros' best opportunity to put up runs on the Rangers actually ended in the team hanging up a zero on the scoreboard in the fifth inning. After allowing two singles and then a third baserunner on an error in that frame, Eovaldi responded to the bases behind him being loaded -- and no out being on the board -- by striking out the next two batters, and then forcing a ground-out to third base to end the inning.
After Rangers reliever Aroldis Chapman gave up a homer to Alvarez in the eight that drew the score to 5-4, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy then turned to closer Jose Leclerc to turn a four-out save and end the game.
After walking the first two batters he'd face, he too -- like Eovaldi earlier in the game -- worked his way out of a jam by forcing a third-out ground-out to third base to end the inning.
In the ninth, Leclerc again stood strong as he did in Game 1, retiring the Astros' side -- including final Astros batter Jose Altuve -- in order.
Game 3 will see the series make its first trip to Arlington as the Rangers host the Astros in a Wednesday night matchup set to start at 7:03 p.m.
Rangers ace Max Scherzer, back from an injury that was initially thought to end his season, will start the game on the mound for the home team.
