The Texas Rangers scored five runs but the Colorado Rockies scored four runs.
In a very the-Rangers-are-quite-strange kind of way, the club almost lost a second consecutive series to a league-worst team despite outscoring them. The Rangers have outscored their opponents 30-17 on their current road trip, but were a couple of outs away from a second consecutive series loss, this time to the now 19-31 Rockies.
After outscoring the Astros nine runs to six, the Rangers outscored Colorado 21-11 in this series
only to trail 4-3 into the ninth in the day’s rubber match. Without the ninth inning rally, Texas would have been staring at a most depressing result in the chilly spring drizzle in the Rocky Mountains. Thankfully, the sun is now shining as the Rangers scored two in the ninth to grab the series.
For a while there was worry as the Rangers fell back on old habits with Jack Leiter allowing a two-out RBI single in the first inning after an easy 1-2-3 top of the frame from the Texas bats. Nevertheless, another early deficit was put behind them when the Rangers had a spurt of scoring in the top of the fourth with Ezequiel Duran and Jake Burger hit back-to-back home runs.
Duran’s dong was of the two-run variety and Burger’s gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead with Leiter seemingly settling in. But Leiter’s stuff seemed down even as he got through the next few innings unscathed after the first. In the bottom of the fourth, his command abandoned him completely and he walked in a run. An inning later, he allowed both the tying and go-ahead runs to score.
So, bottom of the fifth and the Rockies take a one-run lead. But it’s the Rockies, and it’s Coors Field. Surely it’s not over right there, right? Well, it sure seemed like it was until in the ninth the Rangers loaded the bases, scored the tying run on a swinging strike passed ball, and then took the lead on a Josh Jung RBI single against a drawn-in infield.
Jacob Latz pitched his second scoreless inning in the bottom ninth for the save and the Rangers are now back to within a game of .500.
Player of the Game: Josh Jung played the hero with the go-ahead RBI in the top of the ninth while also going 3-for-4 overall on the day.
Up Next: The Rangers have the day off tomorrow before starting a series against the Anaheim Angels for the final leg of this current road trip beginning on Friday night in Orange County.
