The Texas Rangers stared down a four-run hole, took a punch in the second inning, and still walked away with an 8-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays to close out the series.
Tampa Bay jumped on Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore early, piling up singles and benefiting from a few shaky defensive moments to build a quick lead. Gore was knocked out after just three innings, and the damage in that second inning set Texas on its heels. It looked like the kind of afternoon that could have turned into another loss against the AL’s top club.
Instead, Jake Burger flipped the script.
Burger got Texas on the board with a solo homer, then came back in the third inning and launched a two-run shot to pull the Rangers back into it. Those three runs were only the beginning of his impact. He later scored the go-ahead run in the fifth after working a walk and eventually came away as the clear difference-maker.
The Rangers’ bullpen did enough to keep the comeback alive. Trevor Williams threw two scoreless innings, Chase Silseth added a scoreless frame, and Tyler Alexander worked through trouble while allowing a run. Even after Alexander gave up Tampa Bay’s sixth run, Texas had already seized control.
The key swing came in the same inning as Burger’s second homer. With the Rangers getting traffic on the bases, Justin Foscue fought off a two-strike pitch and poked a two-out, two-run double just inside the line to tie the game. That opened the door for Texas to keep pressing.
In the fifth, Burger started another rally with a walk, Logan O’Hoppe followed with a single, and Elias Diaz delivered the go-ahead hit with a single that scored Burger. Ezequiel Duran then added another RBI single later in the inning to give Texas some breathing room.
The Rangers also managed the late innings with a different look. After Alexander allowed Tampa Bay’s sixth run in the seventh, Texas turned to Jacob Latz in the eighth with the Rays’ top of the order coming up in a one-run game. Latz had pitched two innings the day before, but he handled the assignment, working around a single and getting through the inning scoreless on 18 pitches.
Corey Seager added more cushion with a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth, and that allowed Jakob Junis to take over for the save in the ninth. Junis closed it out, and Texas finished the series with a split.
A series win would have been better, but the Rangers at least spent the weekend hanging with the league leaders. With three weeks left in the season, they’re still in the mix for one of the American League playoff spots.
Player of the Game: Burger was responsible for Texas’ first three runs via a couple of home runs which helped the Rangers claw their way out of an early hole. Burger also scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth.
Up Next: The Rangers have Mondays off every week this month, including tomorrow. They will venture up to Seattle to take on the scuffling Mariners beginning on Tuesday night.
In Other News...
Rangers Are Sending Justin Foscue A Tough Message At The Wrong Time
Justin Foscue gave the Rangers a reason to keep watching him when he drove a ball out of the park in a recent game, a reminder that his bat can still change the feel of an inning. But when a right-handed reliever came in, manager Skip Schumaker went to a pinch-hitter anyway, turning to left-handed Evan Carter in a move that underscored how fragile Foscues place in the lineup can be.
That kind of decision is bigger than one at-bat for a player still trying to prove he belongs, especially one whose best numbers have come against left-handed pitching. Foscues contract status and the way the Rangers have handled similar matchups around him only sharpen the question of whether these quick hooks are helping him grow as a hitter or sending a message at exactly the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Add Another Brutal Twist To A Season Fans Know Too Well
The Rangers kept themselves in the game long enough to make it interesting, tying the score in the eighth after Evan Carter went deep for a solo shot and pushed himself closer to double digits on the season. For a while, it looked like they might steal one from Tampa Bay after a back-and-forth night that spilled into extra innings, with Texas showing enough fight to erase the deficit and force the Rays into a longer finish.
Instead, the night turned into one more reminder of how thin the margin has been for Texas this year. The Rangers came up empty in the extra frame, and Tampa Bay made them pay before the game was over, leaving another frustrating loss in a season full of them and another missed chance to turn a close game into something useful. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Suddenly Need Robert Garcia More Than Ever
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Garcia may need two or three more rehab outings before he is ready to rejoin the big league club, which leaves the Rangers waiting a little longer for help in the bullpen. Carter Baumler is also working back from a right intercostal strain and has looked sharp in his first two rehab games, adding another encouraging sign to a pitching staff that could use all the depth it can get. The timing matters because Texas does not have much margin left, and these next steps in the rehab process could shape how equipped the club is for the stretch ahead. [Read more 🡒]