HOUSTON _ The Houston Astros will be a postseason player again in 2018.
The defending World Series champions are still loaded with a potent lineup and should compete for the most wins in the American League. Their everyday lineup is still arguably the best in baseball, but now, in '18, they have arguably the most fearsome starting rotation in the game.
Ace Justin Verlander, who joined Houston at the end of August via a trade with the Tigers, gives the Astros five dominant arms, including Dallas Keuchel, who won the Cy Young award in 2015. Keuchel took his turn stifling the Rangers' offense on Sunday as the Astros won the series finale 6-1 at Minute Maid Park.
The Rangers have an off day before playing a two-game series in Seattle beginning Tuesday.
Keuchel has taken a back seat behind Verlander, Saturday's winner Charlie Morton, Lance McCullers and Gerrit Cole, the former two-time first-round draft pick who joined the Astros' staff after five seasons with the Pirates in a January trade.
All he has done is go 4-1 with a 1.43 ERA with a league-leading 86 strikeouts.
But Keuchel showed again on Sunday his Cy Young pedigree. He held the Rangers to three hits in seven innings to earn the win. He had a season-high eight strikeouts and allowed just two base runners into scoring position. The Rangers struck out 39 times in the three-game series and leads the majors with 424 this season. Carlos Perez's solo homer in the eighth against Hector Rondon was it for the Texas offense.
Rangers' starter Matt Moore left after allowing three runs on six hits and three walks in three innings. All three came in the second when Houston rallied after a lead-off walk by Alex Bregman. Yuli Gurriel's RBI single scored Bregman, and Evan Gattis' two-run homer made it 3-0. Moore was replaced by Jesse Chavez, who started the fourth. Moore threw 72 pitches. Chavez held the Astros hitless and struck out four in three innings of relief.
The Astros added three runs in the seventh, including a two-run homer by Carlos Correa against Kevin Jespen.
Reliever Brandon Mann, who was called up from Triple-A Round Rock before Sunday's game, made his major league debut. He took over for Jepsen and allowed one hit in 1 2/3 innings.
Brad Peacock struck out the side in the ninth for the Astros.
