HOUSTON -- Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor had provided the offense Texas sought following his recall from Triple-A Round Rock on June 15, and on Saturday night Odor delivered something else of value.
Odor posted his second consecutive three-hit game, finished a double short of the cycle, and led a ninth-inning bounce back that clinched the Texas Rangers' 7-6 win over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
After the Astros (50-43) closed to within 5-4 with three runs in the eighth inning, all coming with two outs, Odor ignited a bench-clearing scrum when he exchanged words with Astros catcher Hank Conger.
When the dust had settled, Odor laced a leadoff triple to center field and scored when third baseman Adrian Beltre delivered with a one-out single to cap an eight-pitch confrontation with Astros right-hander Josh Fields.
Texas right fielder Josh Hamilton, who recorded three hits in his final three at-bats, doubled to score Beltre for a crucial three-run lead.
"He's been driving that energy bus for us since he's been back," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said of Odor, who is batting .382 with four home runs and 17 RBIs over his last 25 games. "We really like how he's playing right now."
Conger answered in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run, opposite-field homer off right-hander Shawn Tolleson. But Tolleson recovered to record three consecutive outs and earn his 14th save for Texas (43-47).
Odor and Hamilton each finished 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs.
Texas rolled to a 4-0 lead behind right-hander Colby Lewis (9-4), who allowed two runs on four hits in 7 1/3 innings while striking out seven.
Given his sparkling career results against the Astros in Houston, Lewis' early dominance hardly registered as a surprise.
Lewis entered Saturday 6-1 with a 1.85 ERA in 12 appearances (nine starts) at Minute Maid Park and, after surrendering a leadoff single to second baseman Jose Altuve in the first, settled into his usual routine.
Lewis retired three consecutive batters to close the first inning and stranded Altuve, who swiped second base, in scoring position. He followed by setting down the Astros in order in the second inning; and, after allowing a leadoff single to Astros first baseman Jon Singleton in the third, Lewis retired 12 consecutive batters through the sixth.
"I felt like I located the fastball, changeup was good, slider was really good today," Lewis said. "Then the breaking ball was kind of junk all day. I kept throwing it and I didn't get any swings off of it or any strikes out of it but I just kept throwing it to kind of show it to them. It was good enough stuff to keep them off-balance and go deep into the game."
Things didn't go so swimmingly for Astros right-hander Scott Feldman, who returned from a 45-game injury hiatus and allowed two homers. Feldman (4-5) hit the disabled list following right knee surgery in May.
Odor followed Delino DeShields' leadoff double in the third inning with a two-run home run to the upper deck in right field -- his ninth homer lifting Texas to a 2-0 advantage. Feldman continued to labor, and after right fielder Shin-Soo Choo boosted Texas' lead to 3-0 with a sacrifice fly that scored Hamilton in the sixth, Feldman surrendered a solo home run to catcher Robinson Chirinos for a four-run deficit.
"Body-wise felt really good; my knee felt fine," Feldman said. "Just didn't really do the best job of executing, especially there in the sixth."
When things grew tense in the ninth, the earlier twists and turns faded from memory. When the emotions swelled late, so too did the intensity.
"It was emotions running high," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "There was something between getting Odor in the box a little faster to start the inning. And you know, all bets are off when the benches clear and emotions get involved and people defending their own teams."
NOTES: Astros 1B Chris Carter should avoid a trip to the disabled list despite suffering a right ankle sprain on Friday night. Carter experienced a decrease in swelling on Saturday; and, while he will remain sidelined for the immediate future, his improved condition allows the Astros to keep him on the active roster. ... Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre played his 2,411th game at third base on Saturday night and is one game behind Graig Nettles (1967-88) for second in major-league history. Brooks Robinson played 2,870 games at third base for the Orioles (1955-77). ... To make room for RHP Scott Feldman on the 25-man roster, the Astros designated OF Alex Presley for assignment. Presley hit .244/.283/.342 with six home runs and 20 RBIs over two seasons (97 games) with Houston.
