The Texas Rangers found a way to survive a messy one in Atlanta, outlasting the Braves 7-6 after a game that kept swinging from one side to the other.
It started with a jolt from former Ranger Eli White, who flipped a 1-0 Texas lead into a Braves advantage with a two-run homer in the bottom of the second. By the time the inning was over, Atlanta had pushed the margin to 4-1 and MacKenzie Gore was once again staring at one of those outings where things start to slip away in a hurry. Gore has had trouble on the road this season, and the second inning fit that pattern.
Texas, though, didn’t fold. The Rangers answered with two runs in the top of the fourth and had a chance to do more when they loaded the bases.
That rally died there, as a one-out, bases-loaded spot ended without the tying run crossing. Evan Carter nearly came through, but after a left-hander was brought in to face him, he popped out to shallow right field and White slid in for the catch to snuff out the inning.
Atlanta tacked on again in the bottom of the third when Michael Harris II launched a solo homer off Gore to make it 5-3. Even then, the Rangers kept hanging around.
Carter helped spark the comeback in the sixth, when he finally got one White couldn’t track down and sent it out for a two-run homer. It was his first home run since July 2, and it pulled Texas even at 5-5. From there, the Rangers kept the pressure on, stringing together three straight two-out hits in a four-run inning that put them in front 7-5.
But the bases-loaded issues didn’t go away. In the top of the seventh, Texas had another chance to blow the game open with the bags full and one out. Pinch hitter Justin Foscue worked the count to 3-0, took a strike, then grounded into an inning-ending double play.
That left the door open for Atlanta, and the Braves used it. A two-out rally against Tyler Alexander trimmed the lead to 7-6 in the next half inning, with the tying run moving into scoring position before Alexander got White to line out to Carter and end the threat.
Texas then turned to a late-game setup it hasn’t had available much lately. Jakob Junis and All-Star Jacob Latz were both ready for the final innings, and after Junis allowed a two-out hit in the eighth in his first outing in July, Skip Schumaker went to Latz for his usual four-out save. Latz handled it without trouble.
Gore’s rough stretch and the Rangers’ ongoing struggles with the bases loaded were both part of the story again, but Texas still walked away with the win.
Player of the Game: Joc Pederson led off the game with a solo home run but he also scored three of Texas’ seven runs, which is exactly what you want from your svelte leadoff hitter.
Up Next: The Rangers and Braves close out this series with a rubber match potentially featuring RHP Nathan Eovaldi for Texas against RHP Grant Holmes for Atlanta.
In Other News...
Rangers Trade Idea Puts Two Intriguing Young Pieces On The Table
Jim Bowdens trade idea gives the Rangers a familiar sort of deadline debate: do they chase a useful bat now, or protect the young depth that could matter later? In this scenario, Texas is looking at Luis Arraez as a possible fit, which makes sense only if you view the clubs roster needs through the lens of contact and versatility rather than impact power. The bigger question is whether that is the right way to spend real prospect capital when the Rangers still have more pressing holes to fill.
Yolfran Castillo and Dalton Pence are the kind of names that make these conversations interesting because both have enough upside to matter in a deal, but neither feels disposable. Castillo has been productive in the low minors, while Pence has put together a strong season on the mound and sits among the organizations better arms. Even so, Texas has other pitching prospects in the pipeline, which could make moving Pence easier to swallow than it first appears, but the front office still has to decide whether Arraez is the sort of addition worth taking that step. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Fans Just Got Pulled Into Another Deadline Rumor
Trade-season chatter has a way of finding its way to the Rangers whether they ask for it or not, and this latest round is no different. A rumor making the rounds has Texas linked to Cincinnati right-hander Hunter Greene, with the buzz spreading through social media and a Jim Bowden column that leaned on second-hand talk rather than anything confirmed. For a club that always seems to live in the middle of deadline speculation, it is another reminder that once July turns into August, the noise can move fast.
Greenes situation is what makes the rumor linger, because he is not the kind of arm a team casually dangles without a bigger plan in mind. Cincinnatis posture matters here too, since the Reds appear more inclined to retool than to tear everything down, which makes any talk of moving a young starter more complicated than the rumor mill suggests. For the Rangers, it leaves the familiar deadline question hanging in the air: are they actually in on this, or just getting pulled into another round of speculation? [Read more 🡒]
Brady Singer Is Putting The Reds At A Deadline Crossroads
With the Rangers sitting atop the AL West despite a slightly above-.500 record, the trade deadline is starting to look like a chance to shore up the one area that still feels unfinished. Texas has been searching for rotation help, and the conversation naturally turns to a few names who could fit the bill, with Brady Singer among the more interesting possibilities because of the way his situation lines up with the market.
Singers contract status gives the Reds a reason to listen, and it also gives a contender like Texas a chance to pounce if the price is right. The Rangers are not alone in weighing starting pitching, though, and the broader pool includes other arms with varying levels of certainty, leaving Texas to decide whether to strike early or keep waiting for the right deal to surface. [Read more 🡒]