Dubón’s ejection punctuates tense rivalry matchup

HOUSTON – An already tense game boiled over for the Astros in the ninth inning Saturday afternoon when Mauricio Dubón was called out at first base on a play that was upheld by replay. Dubón ended up being the Astros’ final out of the ninth, sending the stressful game into an extra inning.

Nathaniel Lowe would then hit a single in the 10th inning to score Josh Smith from second base, giving the Rangers a 2-1 win at a tension-filled Minute Maid Park and snapping the Astros’ 10-game home win streak. Lowe’s hit was the Rangers’ only hit with runners in scoring position in the game.

“First time getting tossed … I’ve probably said much worse things,” Dubón said.

Dubón, who thought he was safe at first, clearly let the umpires know his displeasure with the call, which came from the replay center in New York. Home-plate umpire Nestor Ceja ejected Dubón from the game. The normally mild-mannered player had to be restrained and led off the field by Astros bench coach Omar Lopez.

Both Dubón and Astros manager Joe Espada said that the team was not given a clear reason for the original call not being overturned.

“They said that it’s not their call once they go to New York,” Espada said when asked about the explanation given to him by the umpires.

Lowe, Texas’ first baseman, insisted that he tagged Dubón out before he reached the base.

“It was just another bang-bang play. I’m leaning toward the bias that it hit my glove first, and then he hit the base. They sent it to replay, and they called him out, so he’s out,” Lowe said.

Dubón’s ejection was emblematic of the frustrating way Saturday’s game went for Houston. The Astros loaded the bases twice, but couldn’t cash in either time. Houston’s only run came in the first inning, when Yainer Diaz hit a single to score Alex Bregman from second base.

The game was already off to a rough start for the Astros even before the chaos in the ninth inning. Houston had nine hits and just one run to show for them. After Jose Altuve hit a single in the second inning, the Astros did not get a hit again until the sixth inning.

“We faced some pretty good pitching,” Espada said about Rangers starting pitcher (and Houston-area native) Nathan Eovaldi. “Nate’s been tough for us for many, many years and those two guys in the back end [David Robertson and Kirby Yates] have been really good for years.”

Meanwhile, starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti’s very first pitch ended up being a leadoff homer, courtesy of Marcus Semien. Arrighetti, who was first called up to the Major Leagues in April, is now 5-7 with a 5.63 ERA as he wrapped up the first half of his rookie season.

“The numbers are ugly; I think everybody knows that,” Arrighetti admitted. “It’s not hiding, it’s public info. I think I’ve had some really, really good highs and I think I’ve had some really, really low lows. I think it’s my job in the second half [of the season] to kind of find the middle more consistently and just be who I know I’m capable of being.”

Despite taking a loss, Arrighetti did hold the Rangers to one run in six innings. He also struck out seven batters and allowed just two hits, including the Semien home run. His outing ended on a key play at first base in the sixth, which was also the subject of replay review.

With bases loaded and two outs, Arrighetti got Lowe to ground out at first base on a close play. The original call was that Lowe beat Arrighetti to the base, but it was overturned after review and prevented the Rangers from taking the lead.

“We fought until the end,” Espada said. “Our bullpen continues to do a really good job of keeping us in the game. That’s the team that we’ve seen for many, many years.”

The Astros did walk nine batters on Saturday, which is their most since walking nine on Opening Day, but still managed to keep the game competitive. The Rangers left the bases loaded in the sixth, seventh and eighth, but the Astros couldn’t capitalize.

“I really liked our effort and we fought until the end,” Espada said. “That’s the way to do it.”