ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers right-hander Jack Leiter lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the seventh inning Sunday on a solo homer from Houston’s Yainer Diaz.
The 25-year-old rookie walked two and struck out four while throwing 77 pitches through seven innings. The Rangers led 3-1.
Leiter retired Jose Altuve and Christian Walker on routine grounders to start the seventh before Diaz went to the opposite field, sending a 3-2 slider 401 feet into the Texas bullpen in right-center field.
The son of retired major league pitcher Al Leiter was mixing mostly fastballs and sliders, with his four-seamer topping out at 98.9 mph.
Leiter’s first walk came after a borderline 2-2 fastball to Walker at the bottom of the strike zone in the first inning was called a ball by plate umpire Nick Mahrley.
Leiter’s second walk was to Zach Dezenzo leading off the fifth, but Dezenzo was immediately erased on Jake Meyers’ double-play grounder. Leiter threw 60 pitches through six innings.
Most of the outs were routine for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft out of Vanderbilt. Isaac Paredes ended the third with a soft liner to first baseman Jake Burger.
Mahrley’s calls angered both benches. Texas manager Bruce Bochy yelled from the dugout about a called strike against Marcus Semien in the second, and Houston manager Joe Espada was ejected in the top of the third for arguing balls and strikes.
Leiter was making his 13th career start in his second big league season. He entered with a 6.82 career ERA but was coming off his longest big league outing. Leiter gave up one run and two hits over six innings in a 4-1 victory over major league-worst Colorado.
Neither team had a hit through three innings, but the Rangers opened the fourth with three consecutive singles against left-hander Framber Valdez and scored three runs.
Valdez was facing the Astros for the first time since losing a no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth inning on the same mound last August.
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