Marcus Semien did the damage against his old team, and the Texas Rangers had no answer.
The Rangers fell 7-2 to the New York Mets, a loss that left their season hanging in the balance and turned a tight game into a messy one. Texas didn’t even reach base until the first batter of the fifth inning, and by then it was already behind 2-0 while the defense had added a couple more mistakes to a series that has gone sideways at the worst possible moment.
Texas finally put something together against Mets starter Nolan McLean, and that rally produced the tying runs. But the chance to really flip the game never fully arrived. After scoring its first run, Texas had the bases loaded with one out and managed only to tie the game, and only barely, when Evan Carter beat out a potential double play.
That was as close as the Rangers came to breaking through. They didn’t get another runner on against McLean or any other Mets pitcher until there was one out in the ninth.
With the game tied and the season feeling like it was on the line, Skip Schumaker went to closer Jacob Latz earlier than usual when the Mets threatened with two on in the seventh. Latz escaped that jam and stayed in for the eighth, where he worked around a couple of outs before Semien, a former Ranger World Series winner, launched a solo home run.
Then came the final blow. With two outs in the top of the ninth, Brett Baty delivered a pinch-hit grand slam to put the game out of reach and shut the door on Texas.
The Rangers are not eliminated yet, but the road ahead is now brutally narrow. They have lost this series to the Mets, and it was their first home series loss in over two months.
In Other News...
Marcus Semien Still Has Strong Feelings About His Rangers Exit
Marcus Semien is still looking back at his Rangers run with appreciation, even after a stretch in which the numbers were not always in his favor. The veteran infielder admitted his final two seasons in Texas did not go the way he wanted statistically, but he also made clear that his time with the club carried plenty of meaning, from the long-term commitment he signed before the 2022 season to the championship payoff that followed.
Semien said he remains proud of what he helped build in Arlington, especially his role in the Rangers 2023 World Series title, and his connection to the area has not disappeared even after the offseason trade to the Mets. He still lives in the Dallas area, which says plenty about how closely his life stayed tied to the franchise and the city, even as his on-field future moved in a new direction. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Just Got Late-Inning Help Back At The Perfect Time
The Rangers got a little healthier in the bullpen on Saturday, activating right-hander Peyton Gray from the 15-day injured list and sending Adam Macko to Triple-A Round Rock. Gray had been sidelined since Aug. 31 with right elbow inflammation, and his return gives Texas another late-inning arm as the club moves deeper into the stretch run.
Macko, acquired at the trade deadline, had appeared in eight games and carried a 6.00 ERA before the Rangers decided to option him out. For a team trying to line up its relief mix with the playoffs approaching, Grays timing matters, and Texas will be hoping he can settle back in quickly after the layoff. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Just Made The AL West Race Even More Nerve-Racking
The Rangers had a chance to keep a little separation in the AL West, but a 6-3 loss to the Mets instead tightened the screws on a race that already had no margin for error. MacKenzie Gore gave Texas an encouraging start, and Nathan Eovaldi helped bridge the middle of the game, but the bullpen could not hold it together long enough to protect the lead and steady the night.
Now the standings are where the Rangers least wanted them to be, with Texas still a half-game ahead of Houston and just five games left to play. Winning the division means finishing in front of the Astros, and after this loss, every inning from here on out carries the kind of weight that turns a tense stretch run into something far more nerve-racking. [Read more 🡒]