Final
  for this game

Astros-Rangers Preview

Apr 20, 2016 - 5:58 AM Cole Hamels needed a hand from his Texas Rangers teammates last week to keep a streak alive and now has a chance for a personal mark.

The left-hander seeks the first 3-0 start of his career and his 10th victory in a row in the regular season Wednesday night against the Houston Astros.

Hamels (2-0, 2.95 ERA) gave up three runs in 5 1-3 innings Thursday against Baltimore and exited with Texas trailing 3-1. The Rangers scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 6-3 victory and a no-decision for their starter.

"It's huge when guys are able to come through like they did," Hamels told MLB's official website.

Hamels hasn't suffered a regular-season loss since a 4-3 defeat in Seattle on Aug. 7, but did take a 6-3 loss in Toronto in Game 5 of last year's AL Division Series. He is 9-0 with a 3.16 ERA in his last 13 regular-season starts with Texas (8-6) winning all of those games, the Rangers' longest such streak since they prevailed in Bobby Witt's 14 starts in 1990.

Hamels did not get a decision in his only start against Houston last season, allowing three runs in seven innings in a 5-3 victory Sept. 14.

The Astros (5-9) have totaled 10 runs in their past two games, matching their previous five contests combined, but fell 7-5 in Tuesday's series opener in Texas.

"Obviously you want to start hot, but it's early. We're going to be all right, we're going to keep grinding," outfielder Jake Marisnick said.

The Rangers never trailed after Prince Fielder's two-run homer in the first inning and registered double-digit hits for the seventh time in 10 games with 12. They have won each of those and are 1-6 when they've failed to reach that mark.

Ian Desmond registered his first two-hit game for Texas, raising his average to .140.

"Obviously in the most humble way I can say it, I've got no doubt I'm going to hit," he said. "I feel like I've been, maybe in self-evaluation and being too hard on myself, I feel like I've kind of been a little bit of an anchor."

Doug Fister (1-1, 7.59) will seek to stifle the Rangers' lineup but will need a better effort than in a 6-2 loss to Kansas City on Thursday. The right-hander allowed six runs in 5 2-3 innings after yielding three in five innings in his Astros' debut, a 6-4 victory in Milwaukee on April 9.

"I'm just not getting my job done there," Fister said. "My job is to get the guy out at the plate no matter what happens. I've got to execute and I didn't execute."

Fister is 5-4 with a 5.08 ERA in 11 career starts against the Rangers, with the most recent on May 31, 2014, and is 0-2 with an 11.85 ERA in three lifetime games in Texas.

Hamels is 6-0 lifetime in Arlington and has five wins in his nine home starts for the Rangers. With a victory Wednesday, he would tie Yu Darvish and Alexi Ogando for the second-longest unbeaten streak at Globe Life Park to begin a career.

Barry Zito won his first eight decisions in that stadium.

Jose Altuve is 4 for 8 with a solo homer lifetime against Hamels while Carlos Gomez, currently batting .196, is 4 for 18.

Adrian Beltre is 8 for 23 in his career against Fister. Fielder has homered and doubled in his two at-bats.