{
  "id": 7938325,
  "title": "Rave and Massey homer as Royals beat Astros 5-2, dropping Houston into first-place tie with Texas",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/rave-and-massey-homer-as-royals-beat-astros-5-2-dropping-houston-into-7938325",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-17T03:16:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/baseball/2026/09/16/rave-and-massey-homer-as-royals-beat-astros-5-2-dropping-houston-into-first-place-tie-with-texas"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "John Rave and Michael Massey powered the Kansas City Royals to a 5-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night, pushing Houston into a first-place tie with the Texas Rangers in the AL West. Rave's two-run homer in the fourth inning proved crucial, followed by Massey's solo shot in the eighth inning, which broke open the game. After a throwing error by right fielder Jorge Barrosa, Carter Jensen added to the Royals' lead with an RBI double in the eighth frame. Daniel Lynch IV finished the scoreless sixth inning, while Nolan Hoffman kept Houston's offense at bay in the seventh. Houston's Jeremy Peña contributed a three-hit performance in the game, while Yainer Diaz added a ninth-inning home run. Despite the loss, the Astros maintain a tie with the Rangers for first place in the division, with a potential wild card spot still in play. RHP Seth Lugo (7-8, 4.99 ERA) will start for the Royals in Thursday's series finale.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "John Rave and Michael Massey each hit two-run homer to win 5-2",
    "Astros drop to first-place tie with Texas Rangers in AL West",
    "Nolan Hoffman pitches strong to keep Houston's offense in check"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/7938325.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Royals vs. Astros September 16th game discussion",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/royals-vs-astros-september-16th-game-discussion",
        "published": "2026-09-16T23:10:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}