ARLINGTON, Texas -- Chris Carter is hitting under .200 this season for the Houston Astros. Still, he is hitting the ball hard -- and deep. Carter led off two innings with home runs, George Springer had one inning-starting long ball and the Astros beat the Texas Rangers 8-3 on Tuesday night, getting a game closer to escaping the AL West cellar. The Astros go for a three-game series sweep on Wednesday after winning only twice in 19 games against Texas last season. They have won four straight overall against their instate rival for the first time since 2002. "Its just nice to beat them this year," Carter said. "They beat up on us pretty bad last year." Carter started the sixth with a 409-foot blast into the seats in left field to make it 4-2. Two innings later, his 17th homer of the season was almost as long -- but just cleared the wall and the outstretched glove of centre fielder Leonys Martin for a 6-3 lead. Nine of Carters last 17 hits have been homers. It was the third multihomer game this season for the .194 hitter. "He hits them in bunches. Lets hope this is one of those bunches," manager Bo Porter said. "On the home run to left field, he was getting extension. Hes a big, strong man and hes hitting the ball well." Jose Altuve had two hits, two stolen bases and a sacrifice fly. The All-Star second baseman matched Houstons franchise record with 28 consecutive stolen bases without being caught while pushing his AL-leading total to 41. He leads the American League with 126 hits and a .341 batting average. Houston went ahead to stay with two runs in the first inning off Phil Irwin (0-1) who was making his Rangers debut. Brad Peacock (3-5) struck out five while allowing two runs and six hits over 5 2-3 innings. Except for 21 days, and none past mid-April in either of their two seasons since switching leagues, the Astros have been at the bottom of the five-team AL West. After taking the first two of this three-game set, they are within a game of fourth-place Texas, which has lost nine of its last 10 games -- and 17 of 20. Springer, the rookie centre fielder, led off the third with his 18th homer -- a 430-foot shot to the hill in centre field. Martin led off the Texas second with his fifth homer before adding a sacrifice fly and a triple. Jake Smolinski had an RBI double in the seventh for his first major league hit. The Astros loaded the bases with no outs in the first, including Robbie Grossman reaching on a strikeout, before Altuve was picked off third base by catcher Chris Gimenez. Jon Singleton and Matt Dominguez followed with consecutive RBI singles. Irwin allowed three runs and six hits in four innings. He made a start in April 2013 for Pittsburgh, which waived him earlier this season. The right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock earlier Tuesday when right-hander Nick Martinez (left side discomfort) was put on the 15-day disabled list. "It just came down to the first inning ... overthrowing out of the gate," Irwin said. "Just trying to throw it hard, blow it past people. Thats not my game." NOTES: Astros C Jason Castro was out of the lineup for the second straight day because of pain in his left armpit. Castro was able to swing in the batting cage before the game but didnt play. ... Irwin became the 1,000th player in the history of the Washington Senators-Texas Rangers franchise (1961-2014). He was also the 47th player used by the Rangers this season, one more than they used all last year. RHP Roman Martinez made it 1,001 and 48 with two scoreless innings in his major league debut. ... Grossman had an 18-game hitting streak at Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he was before being recalled Tuesday when OF Alex Presley (strained right oblique) was put on the 15-day DL. Grossman, in his third stint in the majors this season, is hitless in his last 28 at-bats for the Astros after going 0 for 4 with a walk. He was the only Houston player without a hit. DaeSean Hamilton Broncos Jersey . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson. Isaac Yiadom Jersey . The two were in the batting cage moments before game time. Bautista was taking final warm up cuts. Pillar was hitting soft toss. The one-time utility player turned All-Star pulled aside the clubs young, fourth outfielder and offered him some advice. http://www.broncosrookiestore.com/Bronco...amilton-Jersey/. -- Michael Phelps is 0 for 1 in his comeback to the pool. Denver Broncos Jerseys . Rajon Rondo had 18 of Bostons season-high 38 assists and the Celtics committed just seven turnovers in a 118-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Royce Freeman Broncos Jersey . Warren made six birdies and a bogey for a 5-under total of 139 to sit one shot ahead of Felipe Aguilar of Chile, who carded a 69. David Horsey of England was also on 5 under through 15 holes to join Warren atop the leaderboard before play was stopped.SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The pain of another playoff collapse was still fresh less than two days later as the San Jose Sharks packed up for another early summer. General manager Doug Wilson expressed his still boiling anger in a team meeting Friday and vowed that the status quo is not an option after the Sharks became the fourth NHL team to lose a best-of-seven series after winning the first three games. But Wilson said it will be his recommendation that the change not include coach Todd McLellan. Wilson said he has not yet talked to owner Hasso Plattner and acknowledged that he also is under evaluation. Wilson said the final decision on what the Sharks will do going forward will likely be made in the next two weeks. "This is not a nick or a scratch," Wilson said. "This is an open wound. When the emotions are raw, the emotions should run deep and resonate and live for a long time. We have already started the process of what decisions were going to make." The Sharks won the first three games of the series by a margin of 17-8. But they managed only two goals in the final three games in the latest playoff disappointment for a franchise that has the second-most points in the regular season the past 10 seasons but is still looking for its first Stanley Cup appearance. McLellan took the blame for the collapse after the Game 7 loss and said he is even more frustrated two days later with his teams performance in their second straight playoff loss to the Kings. "Something has to change," McLellan said. "Its two years in a row losing to that team, and its a very good team, too. Let me make that very clear. But its two years in a row losing to them. And, in fact, when we thought we had improved our group -- which I believe we did -- we got a weaker performance than we go the year prior." McLellan has the support of his players as well, who universally praised the job hes done the past six years even if it hasnt transslated into the ultimate post-season success.dddddddddddd. "I dont think the coaching is the problem. Ive had some bad coaches in the past," defenceman Dan Boyle said. "Its on the players. Were the ones that go out there and need to get it done. We didnt." The Sharks entered the playoffs almost completely healthy and looked like they were finally ready to make a run to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history the way they shredded the leagues top defensive team the first three games. But the offence dried up late in the series with the only two goals in the final three games coming from fill-in defenceman Matt Irwin and third-line forward James Sheppard. "Theres no sugarcoating it. When youre up 3-0 in a series, you step on their throat and put them away," Wilson said. "They came back and were able to play and establish their game for four games. We played it for three. Its not good enough. Thats the truth." Captain Joe Thornton, linemate Brent Burns and Logan Couture had no points in the final four games. Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski didnt have a goal or an assist in the last three. The power-play went 0-for-15 in the final three games, including four blown chances in the second period of Game 7 when the Sharks were either ahead or tied. "I think Ill think about that probably until next year sometime," Thornton said. "The way we played in the first three games and then what we did in the last four, its mindboggling. I think I will lose sleep probably for the next couple months." The Sharks have five unrestricted free agents: Boyle and Scott Hannan, goalie Alex Stalock and forwards Mike Brown and Bracken Kearns. San Jose also has the option of buying out up to two players this summer with forward Marty Havlat the most likely after being a healthy scratch for six of the seven games against the Kings. 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