Rangers swept in road series against Phillies

Rangers swept in road series against Phillies Image

• Rangers swept in road series against Phillies

Dj Spencer Sports Editor Sat, 05/25/2024 - 06:11 Body

Texas drops to 24-27 on season

PHILADELPHIA — The Texas Rangers resumed their season this week by traveling to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Unfortunately, the Rangers would leave empty-handed, as the Phillies defeated the Rangers in all three games, completing a sweep.

In the first game, played May 21, the Rangers suffered a 5-2 loss. Despite a close start, the Phillies would outscore the Rangers 3-1 down the stretch, leading to a bitter defeat.

The first inning would be scoreless, as both defenses kept the offenses off balance. The second inning would be more of the same, as the scoreless tie persisted.

In the top of third inning, the Rangers took the lead when Derek Hill scored a run on an RBI double by Marcus Semien, giving Texas a 1-0 lead. The Phillies would answer back with a run of their own in the bottom of the third inning, tying the score at 1-1.

The Phillies pulled ahead in the fourth inning with another run, taking a 2-1 lead. After a scoreless fifth inning, the Phillies extended their lead to 3-1 with a solo home run in the sixth inning.

Following a scoreless seventh inning, the Rangers got on the board again in the top of the eighth inning when Corey Seager launched a solo home run. The score was initially ruled a live ball, but instant replay confirmed that the ball landed in the stands, and only came back onto the field after landing in a fan’s nachos, cutting the score to 3-2.

The Phillies would respond with a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, extending their lead to 5-2. After the Rangers were held scoreless in the top of the ninth inning, the game ended, as the Phillies took the lead in the series with a 5-2 victory.

As a team, the Rangers batted 9 for 36 (.250) from the plate. Jonah Heim and Hill were the leading hitters with two each, while Ezequiel Duran, Nathaniel Lowe, Seager, Semien, and Leody Taveras added one each. Hill and Seager both scored one run each.

Jon Gray suffered the loss on the mound. Over five innings, he recorded four strikeouts, allowing four hits, three walks, and two earned runs.

Jacob Latz pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief, recording three strikeouts and only conceding one hit and one earned run. Cole Winn pitched the final 1 1/3 innings, surrendering three hits and two earned runs.

For the second game, played May 22, the Rangers once again took the loss, this time losing 11-4. Despite initially jumping out to an early lead, the Phillies’ offense would light up the scoreboard the rest of the way, clinching a series win.

The Rangers would get on the board first in the first inning when Semien scored a run thanks to an RBI single by Josh Smith, giving Texas a 1-0 advantage. Their lead would extend to 2-0 in the top of the second inning when Taveras launched a solo home run.

In the bottom of the second inning, the Phillies would score a pair of runs, tying the score at 2-2. The Phillies then took the lead in the third inning with a solo home run, pulling ahead 3-2.

The Phillies added onto their lead in the fourth inning with a three-run home run, increasing their lead to 6-2. The Rangers finally scored again in the fifth inning when Semien scored his second run of the game on an RBI single by Smith, cutting the score to 6-3.

In the sixth inning, the Phillies added onto their lead again with four more runs, raising the score to 10-3. The Rangers would score again in the seventh inning on a solo home run by Seager, trimming the score to 10-4.

The Phillies added another run in the eighth inning on a solo home run, extending their lead to 114. The Rangers were then held scoreless in the top of the ninth inning, as the Phillies won the game 11-4 and clinched the series win.

As a team, the Rangers batted 7 for 32 (.219) from the plate. Seager and Smith shared the title of leading scorer with two each, while Adolis Garcia, Semien, and Taveras added one hit each.

Semien was the leading scorer with two runs. Seager and Taveras both scored one run each.

Dane Dunning suffered the loss on the mound. Across 3 1/3 innings, he conceded five runs (three runs), four hits, and one walk, managing four strikeouts.

Jonathan Hernandez pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief, recording four strikeouts while allowing three runs (one earned), two walks, and one hit.

Yerry Rodriguez then pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing two hits, two earned runs, and two walks, recording two strikeouts. Grant Anderson pitched the eighth inning, allowing one hit, one earned run, and one walk.

In the third and final game, played May 23, the Rangers suffered a 5-2 loss. Despite initially taking the lead, they weren’t able to sustain in, as the Phillies won the game and completed the series sweep.

As a team, the Rangers batted 6 for 32 (.188) from the plate. Duran, Garcia, Robbie Grossman, Travis Jankowski, Lowe, and Taveras all recorded one hit each. Garcia and Lowe both scored one run each.

Andrew Heaney suffered the loss on the mound. Across 3 1/3 innings, he surrendered nine hits, four runs (three earned), and two walks, managing one strikeout.

Grant Anderson pitched 1/2 innings in relief, striking out one batter and allowing one hit. Jesus Tinoco would then pitch two innings, recording two strikeouts while allowing one hit and one earned run. Jose Leclerc pitched the final inning, striking out two batters and only allowing one hit.

With these three losses, the Rangers dropped to 24-27 on the season. They resumed action Friday, traveling to Minneapolis for three-game road series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.