RHP Lance McCullers Jr. made his second major league rehab appearance as the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (6-2, 38-44) evened their series against the Oklahoma City Comets (4-4, 45-37) with a 4-3 victory on Wednesday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.
Sugar Land wasted no time getting on the board in the top of the first inning. Braden Shewmake worked a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Zach Dezenzo connected on an RBI single, giving the Space Cowboys an early 1-0 advantage.
Oklahoma City plated a run in the bottom of the second to tie the game, but that would be the only run McCullers Jr. allowed in his outing. The right-hander tossed 4.0 innings, surrendering four hits and one run while striking out three in his second rehab start.
The Space Cowboys regained the lead in the third inning. Edwin Díaz opened the frame with a ground-rule double before Shay Whitcomb lined an RBI single to left field, putting Sugar Land back in front, 2-1.
Sugar Land added to its lead in the fourth. Lucas Spence tripled for his first three-base hit as a member of the Space Cowboys before Pascanel Ferreras followed with an RBI single to extend the advantage to 3-1.
The Comets rallied in the bottom of the fifth, using a triple and three singles to plate two runs and even the score at 3-3. Sugar Land answered immediately in the top of the sixth as Dezenzo worked a walk and stole second base before Ferreras delivered his second RBI single of the night, putting the Space Cowboys back on top, 4-3.
The Sugar Land bullpen preserved the lead over the final four innings. RHP JP France tossed a scoreless frame while allowing one hit before RHP Alimber Santa retired all three batters he faced in a perfect inning of relief. RHP Logan VanWey followed with a scoreless eighth, surrendering one hit and striking out one, and RHP Roddery Muñoz (S, 3) recorded his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning, striking out two to secure the 4-3 win.
NOTABLE:
- RHP Lance McCullers Jr. made his second start on Major League rehab assignment, tossing 4.0 innings while allowing just one run on four hits and striking out three. The outing marked McCullers Jr.'s longest appearance since beginning his rehab assignment for right shoulder inflammation. He threw 60 pitches, including 41 strikes, and reached a top velocity of 92.8 mph.
- Pascanel Ferreras went 2-for-4 with two RBI on Wednesday night, recording his sixth multi-RBI game with Sugar Land this season and his first since June 17 at Albuquerque.
- RHP Logan VanWey delivered a scoreless inning of relief, earning his sixth hold of the season to move into a tie for the third-most holds in the Pacific Coast League. VanWey has surrendered just one run over his last eight appearances.
- RHP JP France fired a scoreless inning on Wednesday night and has now held opponents scoreless in eight of his last 12 appearances.
Sugar Land will look to take control of its series against Oklahoma City on Thursday as the clubs continue their six-game set at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Sugar Land is expected to send LHP Josh Hendrickson to the mound, while Oklahoma City is slated to counter with LHP Cole Irvin. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm CT. The game can be seen on the Bally Sports Live app and MiLB.TV and can be heard online anywhere at SLSpaceCowboys.com/Listen.
ABOUT THE SUGAR LAND SPACE COWBOYS:
The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros and compete in the Pacific Coast League. They began play as the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021 and began playing under the Space Cowboys brand in 2022, winning their first Triple-A title in 2024 by clinching both the Pacific Coast League Championship and Triple-A National Championship. The Space Cowboys play at Constellation Field, located at the corner of Hwy-6 and US-90 Alternate in Sugar Land, Texas. Follow the team on Twitter (@SLSpaceCowboys), Instagram (@slspacecowboys), Facebook (SLSpaceCowboys) and their official website (slspacecowboys.com). Season ticket plans for the 2026 season are available now and can be purchased at slspacecowboys.com/tickets.