Rangers sweep Tampa Bay Rays in home series Image
Dj Spencer Sports Editor Tue, 07/09/2024 - 17:18 Subhead
Texas moves to 42-48 on season
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ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers hosted the Tampa Bay Rays in a threegame series this past weekend, their final home series before the All-Star Break. In that time, the Rangers won all three games, helping them move up in the American League standings.
In the first game, July 5, the Rangers shut out the Rays 3-0. In a mostly quiet scoring game, a three-run third inning for the Rangers proved to be the difference in the game, propelling them to a win and a series lead.
The first two innings were scoreless, as both starting pitchers performed well. In the third inning, the Rangers did all of the game’s scoring.
Texas first got on the board when both Marcus Semien and Jonathan Ornelas scored on a 2-RBI double by Corey Seager, giving the Rangers a 2-0 lead. On the following atbat, Seager scored on an RBI single by Nathaniel Lowe, extending the Rangers’ lead to 3-0. That score would hold up through the final six innings, giving the Rangers a 3-0 win and a lead in the series.
As a team, the Rangers batted 10 for 32 (.313) from the plate. Jonah Heim and Ornelas led with two hits each, while Derek Hill, Wyatt Langford, Lowe, Seager, Semien, and Taveras added one hit each. Ornelas, Seager, and Semien all scored one run each.
Michael Lorenzen earned the victory on the mound. Across five innings, he struck out four batters, conceding just five walks and one hit. Jose Leclerc pitched the sixth inning, tallying two strikeouts while only allowing one hit and one walk.
Jacob Latz pitched 2/3 of an inning, walking two batters. David Robertson then pitched 1 1/3 innings, striking out two batters and conceding a hit. Kirby Yates pitched the last inning, striking out two batters and earning a save.
For the second game, the Rangers edged out the Rays 4-3. After the Rays initially stole a lead from the Rangers in the top of the seventh inning, the Rangers reclaimed their lead on a two-run home run by Semiem, and the defense held the lead, allowing the Rangers to clinch a series win.
The first inning was scoreless. Soon after, the Rangers took the lead in the second inning when Heim scored on an RBI single by Andrew Knizer, giving Texas a 1-0 lead.
The Rangers added onto their lead in the third inning when Semien scored on an RBI single by Lowe, brining the score to 2-0. The next three innings didn’t feature any scoring.
The Rays would pull ahead in the third inning with a three-run home run, giving Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead. That lead didn’t last long, however, as Semien would put the Rangers back on top with a two-run home run; Taveras also scored, as Texas pulled ahead 4-3.
The final two innings wouldn’t see any scoring, as the Rangers held on for a 4-3 win, clinching a series win.
As a team, the Rangers batted 8 for 30 (.266) from the plate. Seager and Taveras led with two hits each, while Heim, Knizer, Lowe, and Semien added one hit each.
Semien was the leading scorer with two runs. Heim and Taveras added one run each.
Andrew Heaney started the game at pitcher. Across 5 1/3 innings, he struck out seven batters, conceding just three hits and two walks. Josh Sborz, who made his return from an injury, pitched one relief inning, allowing two hits and two earned runs, striking out one batter.
Latz pitched 1/3 of an inning, allowing two hits and one earned run, recording one strikeout. Jonathan Hernandez earned the win in his 1/3 of an inning.
Robertson pitched the eighth inning, which was perfect. Yates once again earned a save in the final inning, getting the final three outs and preserving the Rangers’ lead.
In the final game of the series, July 7, the Rangers obliterated the Rays 13-2. After falling behind 2-1 in the third inning, the Rangers scored 12 unanswered runs to run away with the victory, completing the series sweep.
The Rangers got on the board first in the first inning when Seager scored on an RBI double by Langford, giving Texas a 1-0 lead. Following a scoreless second inning, the Rays pulled ahead in third inning with a two-run home run, leading 2-1.
The Rangers would go on a tear from there, starting in the fourth inning. First, the Rangers evened the score at 2-2 when Langford scored on an RBI single by Heim. Soon after, Travis Jankowski hit a 2-RBI single, driving Lowe and Heim home and giving the Rangers a 4-2 lead.
Later in the inning, a three-run home run by Seager, where Jankowski and Semien also scored, raised the Ranger’s lead to 7-2.
In the fifth inning, the Rangers scored again when Langford scored on an RBI single by Taveras, extending their lead to 8-2. Later on, Lowe scored on an RBI single by Jankowski, making the score 9-2. This was followed by Heim scoring on an RBI single by Hill, extending the lead to 10-2 The Rangers scored once more in the sixth inning when Heim launched a solo home run, raising the score to 11-2. In the seventh inning, they added onto their lead again when Robbie Grossman hit a solo home run, bringing the score to 12-2.
Texas added one more run in the eighth inning when Josh Smith scored after Grossman was walked with the bases loaded, making the score 13-2. That score held up in the final inning, as the Rangers capped off a dominant win and complete the series sweep.
As a team, the Rangers batted 19 for 42 (.452) from the plate. Heim and Langford led with four hits each. With his four-hit performance, Heim became the first Rangers catcher to record four hits with a home run since A. J. Pierzynski in 2013.
Taveras would come up with three hits. Jankowski and Seager added two hits each, while Grossman, Hill, Lowe and Smith added one hit a piece.
Heim finished as the leading scorer with three runs. Langford, Lowe, and Seager scored two runs each, while Grossman, Jankowski, Semien, and Smith all added one run a piece.
Nathan Eovaldi earned the victory on the mound. Over seven innings, he struck out five batters, allowing just four hits and two earned runs. Grant Anderson pitched the final two innings, striking out three batters and allowing just one hit.
With these victories, the Rangers improved to 42-48 on the season. They resumed action Monday, traveling to Anaheim for a three-game divisional series against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium.
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