HOUSTON -- The Rangers again loaded their lineup with kids. They ran one out to the mound, too, for good measure. This is what a learning experience looks like. Not always pleasant. Hopefully, invaluable someday, in the not-too-distant future.

And they came close again, making a pair of dazzling defensive plays and a couple of key pitches at important times and making it competitive until the very end.

Never mind the final score. Oh, that. The Astros beat the Rangers 3-2 Wednesday night to complete a 9-0 sweep of the season series at Minute Maid Park.

• Box score

Again, this is what a learning experience looks like, and Rangers manager Chris Woodward has embraced that part of the deal since the first day of Spring Training.

“You ask that ballclub on the other side,” he said. “They know we play ‘em hard. They talk about it openly with our guys and myself. It’s frustrating, because I want a little bit of results for our guys. They deserve it. They played their butts off tonight.”

Part of the learning process is playing an Astros team that clinched a playoff berth and won its 100 game Wednesday. The Rangers also watched as right-hander Gerrit Cole received a standing ovation when he ended the top of the sixth inning by reaching 300 strikeouts for the first time in his career. The Rangers were 6-13 overall against the Astros in 2019.

“I think it’s taught us a lot,” Woodward said. “We beat them at our place. Here, we’ve had a lot of heartache. They’ve beat us handily a few times here, but not very often.

“Our guys fight. This is a good team. This is a good measuring stick. There’s only been a couple of games where they kicked our butt.”

Rangers 22-year-old left-hander Kolby Allard allowed just two earned runs in five innings, both of those scoring on Yuli Gurriel’s home run in the bottom of the fifth.

That was all he allowed on a night when the Astros had runners on in every inning, but got the best of Allard’s competitive fire. He was helped by a nice defensive play by shortstop Elvis Andrus in the first and rookie third baseman Nick Solak in the second.

Allard has a 2.96 ERA in his last five starts and figures into the Rangers’ 2020 plans in a big way.

“I battled,” Allard said. “There were a few times when I pitched myself out of jams and made my pitches when I had to. There were a few times I was trying to be a little too cute, tried to nibble a little bit. I think I did a good job of bearing down and making pitches when I needed to. Obviously, the mistake in the fifth cost us. Other than that, I thought I did a good job of going out there and competing.”

The Rangers trailed 2-0 when Allard departed and then scored one off Cole in the seventh. Jose Altuve answered with his 29th home run in the bottom of the seventh, but Ronald Guzmán hit his 10th in the top of the eighth.

"Those are the kind of guys you’ve got to beat to play in October,” Allard said. “That’s what all of us are shooting to do over here.”