HOUSTON — Jordan Montgomery shut down the Houston Astros and Leody Taveras homered as the Texas Rangers did just enough against Justin Verlander to get a 2-0 win in the opener of the AL Championship Series Sunday night.

Montgomery pitched five-hit ball over 6 1/3 scoreless innings and Taveras provided a two-run lead with his solo homer in the fifth. Evan Carter, a 21-year-old rookie, doubled and scored in the second inning and made two nifty defensive plays in left field.

The Rangers, in the ALCS for the first time since back-to-back appearances in 2010-11, improved to 6-0 this postseason after sweeping the Rays in the Wild Card Series and the Orioles in the Division Series. The winning streak followed loses in their previous six playoff games against Toronto in the ALDS in 2015 and 2016.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Monday in Houston.

The playoff-tested Astros, in the ALCS for a seventh straight year, had a tough time getting anything going against Montgomery. The top four batters in Houston’s lineup were 2 for 12 with five strikeouts against the left-hander. Slugger Yordan Alvarez struck out against him three times.

Houston’s offensive woes came after it hit 16 homers and outscored the Rangers 39-10 in a three-game sweep in September. Things were much different in the first postseason meeting between these in-state rivals as they managed just five singles.

Montgomery has been great in the last month, allowing just two earned runs over 27 innings in his last four starts of regular season, and posting a 2.08 ERA in three postseason starts.

Verlander allowed two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings to mark the first time this postseason where both starters pitched into the seventh. It was the 36th postseason start for Verlander and the MLB-record 14th time he’s started a playoff series opener.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner threw 27 fastballs without getting a single swing and miss.

Josh Sborz walked Jose Altuve starting the eighth and was replaced by Aroldis Chapman. The Rangers turned a double play when Carter made a great grab on the track on a ball hit by Alex Bregman and Altuve was called out after a video review for not retouching second base when he retreated to first after Carter’s catch.

Jose Leclerc struck out one in a perfect ninth for the save and the Rangers’ second shutout of the playoff.

Carter got things going for Texas with a hustle double on a grounder with one out in the second before scoring on a single by Jonah Heim. John Jung singled with two outs and Taveras walked to load the bases, but Verlander limited the damage by retiring Marcus Semien on a fly ball.

Verlander had retired eight in a row when Taveras drove a hanging slider 398 feet into the seats in right field with one out in the fifth.

The Astros had chances to score in the third and fourth innings. Martín Maldonado walked with one out in the third before a two-out single by Bregman. But they were both stranded when Alvarez struck out.

Three straight singles by Chas McCormick, Mauricio Dubónand Jeremy Peña loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth. Montgomery wriggled out of the jam again when he struck out Maldonado to end the inning.

Heim walked to open the seventh and a two-out single by Taveras chased Verlander. Hector Neris took over and retired the next two batters.

Carter robbed Bregman of a hit with one out in the first. He sprinted before leaping to make the catch and crashing into the scoreboard wall in left field and knocking out one of squares.

NOTES

RANGERS: Max Scherzer and Jon Gray were included on the roster for the AL Championship Series.

Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, has been out since Sept. 12 because of a muscle strain in his shoulder.

Scherzer, who was traded from the New York Mets this summer, said he was “ready to go” after throwing a bullpen session and participating in fielding drills Friday.

Gray returned after last pitching for the Rangers on Sept. 25. He had been dealing with tightness in his right wrist.

Scherzer is 7-7 with a 3.58 ERA in 27 postseason games that include 22 starts. When he appears for Rangers, it will be the fifth team he has pitched for in the postseason after Detroit, Washington, the Dodgers and the Mets.

Scherzer went 1-1 against Houston this season. He struck out eight and allowed one run in eight innings on June 19. But the Astros tagged him for seven runs, all of those coming on three homers, in three innings on Sept. 6.

Gray went 9-8 with a 4.12 ERA in 29 starts this season.

NLCS: Zack Wheeler had a pretty nice – yet injury-hampered – career with the New York Mets. When he signed a free-agent deal with the Phillies ahead of the 2020 season, Wheeler had never been an All-Star, made a postseason start or pitched 200 innings.

These days in Philadelphia, Wheeler almost seems like a bargain as the ace of the reigning National League champs.

Wheeler is the Phillies’ most dependable starter as he gets set for Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against Arizona on Monday. An NL Cy Young Award runner-up in 2021, Wheeler has topped 200 innings once, gone over 200 strikeouts twice, and won a pair of playoff games over four seasons since he signed a $118 million, five-year contract.

After he missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons following Tommy John surgery, Wheeler has made 90 starts the last three seasons.

Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and the rest of the Phillies sluggers earned the bulk of the credit for a second straight run to the NLCS.

But what team goes anywhere in the postseason without a solid starting staff? Wheeler, Game 2 starter Aaron Nola and Game 3 starter Ranger Suárez have all pitched like aces in seven playoff starts.

Wheeler pitched into the seventh inning in both of his two starts and has struck out 18 while walking only one. Nola is 2-0, has struck out 12, and has allowed two runs and walked two. Suárez, while filling a different role, has walked one so far and the Phillies won both of the lefty’s starts.

The Diamondbacks send out 17-game winner Zac Gallen for the Game 1 start. Merrill Kelly, a 12-game winner who tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings in an NLDS win over the Dodgers, goes in Game 2. Late-season surprise Brandon Pfaadt is in line for the Game 3 start.