The Texas Rangers scored four runs while the Did You Know They Were Originally From Philadelphia? Athletics scored three runs.
Against the AL West-leading A’s tonight, the Rangers looked like they were about to finally succumb to the dreaded below .500 record while guaranteeing themselves a series loss only for their April hero to save them again.
Texas has been playing hot potato with .500 ball for weeks now hanging on the precipice of falling back down below the mark only to rise to the occasion
when a losing record stares them in the face several times over.
In fact, since April 5 when the Rangers were 4-5 for their only day below .500 this season, they’ve faced five games with an even record and won all of them. However, on the flip side, since that date they’ve only risen to a highwater mark of two games above .500 and have also lost five games that immediately put them back at .500.
It’s been quite the roller coaster and that’s exactly what tonight’s game was too.
Rangers’ starter MacKenzie Gore started things well with a 1-2-3 first inning, all on strikeouts. But then he struggled to finish off A’s hitters as they collected a two-out RBI in the top of the second to take an early lead. A messy top of the third finished with the A’s up 3-0.
But the bats came through in the bottom of the inning with their own messy rally to put two runs on the board off left-handed former Ranger Jeffrey Springs. The two runs scored despite only two singles from Texas with Corey Seager’s two-out RBI lefty-on-lefty hit proving to be a big moment.
The game stayed at 3-2 and it seemed like maybe the third inning flareup would be all we’d see at the offense-adverse Shed, but then Josh Jung stepped up to the plate with a man on.
There’s really no Ranger you’d rather see in such a situation right now, and Jung delivered again with an opposite field two-run shot to the Texas bullpen on a ball that just kept carrying and carrying.
The superlative relief arms for the Rangers finished things off from there with four, one-hit shutout innings and the Rangers once again find themself above .500.
Player of the Game:
Up Next: The Rangers and A’s close out this series with a rubber match that will see RHP Kumar Rocker take the mound for Texas against RHP J.T. Ginn for Someday Vegas’ squad.
The Sunday afternoon first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 1:35 pm CDT and will be covered by the Rangers Sports Network.
