Cooper extracts a Moehler
(c) Associated Press
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There was a time when Astros fans went crazy whenever a guy named Cruz hit a home run. But that was back when they wore bright orange shirts and played under a Dome. Now, it is Rangers fans than can yell CRUUUUUUUZ as they did twice on Saturday after Nelson Cruz belted his 10th and 11th homers of the season, leading Texas past Houston by a 6-3 count.
All of Houston's runs came via the long ball. Miguel Tejada continued his hot homestand with a solo shot in the first inning. Geoff Blum added his first of the season, a two-run blow, in the seventh.
In between those two events, Moehler allowed six runs. Cruz hammered a three-run blast in the fourth. An error by Carlos Lee brought home another run in the fifth. The next inning, Cruz homered again and Hank Blalock went deep as well to push the lead to 6-1. That was the end of the day for Moehler.
As fate would have it, the usually faulty bullpen came through with four innings of shutout ball but the Astros could do nothing after Blum's homer to thank them for their effort.
The series finale will be a 1:05 Central start Sunday with Brandon McCarthy (3-2) working for the Rangers against Mike Hampton (2-3). The Astros will try to avoid getting swept and losing their fourth straight.
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