Rangers sweep Kansas City Royals in three-game series; now facing Milwaukee

Rangers sweep Kansas City Royals in three-game series; now facing Milwaukee Image

• Rangers sweep Kansas City Royals in three-game series; now facing Milwaukee

Dj Spencer Sports Editor Wed, 06/26/2024 - 07:08 Subhead

Scherzer earns win in season debut

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ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers continued their home stand this past weekend by hosting the Kansas City Royals for a three-game series. The Rangers would earn a key sweep, winning all three games and extending their current winning streak to four games.

In the first game, June 21, the Rangers earned a 6-2 victory. After trailing 2-1 through the first five innings, a five-run sixth inning would put the Rangers over the edge, allowing them to take the lead in the series.

The first two innings would be scoreless, as both defenses played well from the start. In the third inning, the Royals got on the board first with a solo home run, taking a 1-0 lead.

The Rangers would get on the board in the fourth inning when Adolis Garcia scored on an RBI double by Wyatt Langford, tying the score at 1-1. The Royals would reclaim the lead in the fifth inning with another run, pulling ahead 2-1.

In the sixth inning, the Rangers’ offense caught fire, going on a five-run rally. The rally began with Garcia scoring his second run of the game, tying the score at 2-2.

Soon after, Nathaniel Lowe scored a run, giving the Rangers a 3-2 lead. Then, the Rangers added some insurance to their lead after Jonah Heim, Leody Taveras, and Robbie Grossman each scored, increasing their lead to 6-2.

The final three innings would be scoreless, as the Rangers closed out the game and a 6-2 win, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.

As a team, the Rangers batted 9 for 30 (.300) from the plate. Lowe would lead the way with a 3/4 performance. Langford recorded two hits, while Garcia, Marcus Semien, Josh Smith, and Taveras added one hit each.

Garcia finished as the leading scorer with two runs. Grossman, Heim, Lowe, and Taveras each scored one run.

Nathan Eovaldi picked up the victory on the mound. In six innings pitched, he struck out six batters, allowing just four hits, two earned runs, and one walk. Jose Leclerc pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief, recording three strikeouts and only conceding one hit and one walk.

David Robertson pitched 1/3 of an inningrecording a strikeout. Kirby Yates pitched the final inning, recording two strikeouts and conceding just one hit.

For the second game, June 22, the Rangers shut out the Royals 6-0. In a game where they held a 1-0 lead through the first seven innings, the Rangers would run away with the game in the eighth inning with a five-run inning, clinching a series win.

The first three innings would end scoreless, as the starting pitchers got off to a great start. The Rangers broke the scoreless tie in the fourth inning with a solo home run by Smith, taking a 1-0 lead.

The next three innings would also end scoreless, as the pitching staffs for each team continued to keep the offenses at bay. The eighth inning would see the Rangers run away with the game.

Texas extended their lead to 2-0 when Semien scored on a fielder’s choice. Then, with bases loaded, Langford swatted a grand slam. Seager, Garcia, and Lowe also scored, as the Rangers raised their lead to 6-0. The Royals were then held scoreless in the final inning, as the Rangers polished off a 6-0 shut out win and clinched the series win.

As a team, the Rangers batted 7 for 31 (.226) from the plate. Langford and Smith led with two hits each, while Garcia, Seager, and Semien added one hit a piece. Garcia, Langford, Lowe, Seager, Semien, and Smith all scored one run each.

Jon Gray picked up the win on the mound, pitching six scoreless innings and recording three strikeouts, allowing just two hits. Jacob Latz pitched the seventh inning, tallying two strikeouts.

Robertson then pitched the eighth inning, recording two strikeouts. Brock Burke pitched the final inning, striking out two batters and conceding just one hit.

In the last game of the series, June 23, the Rangers completed the sweep by shutting out the Royals 4-0. The Rangers would play well all game and never let up, completing the sweep in Max Scherzer’s debut, after he missed three months recovering from back surgery.

The first three innings ended scoreless, with each pitching staff starting well. In the fourth inning, the Rangers took the lead when Garcia, Lowe, and Langford all scored, putting the Rangers on top 3-0.

The next two innings would be scoreless, with each pitching staff continuing to play well. The Rangers would then extend their lead to 4-0 in the seventh inning when Smith hit a solo home run.

The final two innings didn’t see any scoring, as the Rangers finished off a 4-0 win and a series sweep.

As a team, the Rangers batted 10 for 35 (.286) from the plate. Lowe, Seager, and Taveras led with two hits a piece, while Garcia, Langford, Semien, and Smith added one hit each. Garcia, Langford, Lowe, and Smith all scored one run each.

Scherzer earned the victory on the mound, pitching five scoreless innings with four strikeouts, allowing just one hit. Jose Urena pitched four scoreless innings in relief, striking out one batter and allowing just one hit and one walk, earning a save.

With these wins, the Rangers improved to 37-40 on the season.

They resumed action Monday, traveling to Milwaukee to take on the Milwaukee Brewers in a threegame series at American Family Field.