HOUSTON -AP- Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman both left with injuries, butGeorge Springer and Teoscar Hernandez homered and the Houston Astros helped their fading playoff hopes with an 8-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.Altuve exited after the fourth with right oblique discomfort, and Bregman was pulled in the sixth with right hamstring discomfort.Houston snapped a three-game losing streak and closed within 3 1/2 games of Toronto for the second AL wild card. 
Hernandez gave the Astros a 3-1 lead with a two-run homer off the facade in left-center in the second. Springer led off the first with his 27th home run to tie it at 1.The Astros got just their fourth win in 19 games against the Rangers this season.After the Rangers closed within 5-4, Marwin Gonzalez hit a two-run single and Jake Marisnick had an RBI single in the eighth to extend the lead to four.Joe Musgrove (3-4) allowed three runs and five hits with seven strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. The rookie right-hander retired 14 of 15 batters at one pointDerek Holland (7-8) allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. Holland lost his second straight and has given up at least four runs in each start.The left-hander was announced as the starter after Tuesday night's game, with original starter Yu Darvish moved to start Saturday.INJURED INFIELDERSAltuve entered leading the AL in hitting with a .340 average to go with 24 home runs and 94 RBI. The second baseman also leads the AL in hits with 196. He was 1 for 2 with a double before being lifted.Bregman, a rookie third baseman batting .260 with eight homers, limped into third in the sixth inning after stopping and starting on Tyler White's groundout. Bregman tried to walk it off, but he was lifted for pinch-runnerTony Kemp and limped off the field.SUPER UTILITY MAN GONZALEZGonzalez played three positions while the banged-up Astros shuffled their infield. He started out at first base, moved to second base following Altuve's exit and then went to third base following Bregman's departure. After the seventh, Gonzalez moved back to second. Gonzalez has also played shortstop and in the outfield this season.SPRINGER TIES BIGGIOSpringer got his eighth leadoff homer of the season, tying Craig Biggio for the club record, which the Hall of Famer set in 2001.
Hernandez gave the Astros a 3-1 lead with a two-run homer off the facade in left-center in the second. Springer led off the first with his 27th home run to tie it at 1.The Astros got just their fourth win in 19 games against the Rangers this season.After the Rangers closed within 5-4, Marwin Gonzalez hit a two-run single and Jake Marisnick had an RBI single in the eighth to extend the lead to four.Joe Musgrove (3-4) allowed three runs and five hits with seven strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. The rookie right-hander retired 14 of 15 batters at one pointDerek Holland (7-8) allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. Holland lost his second straight and has given up at least four runs in each start.The left-hander was announced as the starter after Tuesday night's game, with original starter Yu Darvish moved to start Saturday.INJURED INFIELDERSAltuve entered leading the AL in hitting with a .340 average to go with 24 home runs and 94 RBI. The second baseman also leads the AL in hits with 196. He was 1 for 2 with a double before being lifted.Bregman, a rookie third baseman batting .260 with eight homers, limped into third in the sixth inning after stopping and starting on Tyler White's groundout. Bregman tried to walk it off, but he was lifted for pinch-runnerTony Kemp and limped off the field.SUPER UTILITY MAN GONZALEZGonzalez played three positions while the banged-up Astros shuffled their infield. He started out at first base, moved to second base following Altuve's exit and then went to third base following Bregman's departure. After the seventh, Gonzalez moved back to second. Gonzalez has also played shortstop and in the outfield this season.SPRINGER TIES BIGGIOSpringer got his eighth leadoff homer of the season, tying Craig Biggio for the club record, which the Hall of Famer set in 2001.
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