The Texas Rangers scored five runs while the Baltimore Orioles scored one run.
If you enjoyed last night’s win for the Rangers over the Orioles, the teams were ready tonight to pretty much put on an encore performance before Corey Seager brought the house down.
The Orioles got their run on one of those patented first inning solo home runs that Jacob deGrom has decided to make his signature move in 2026. I don’t know if you know this but when a team trails in a baseball game, their chances of winning
goes down.
The Rangers had more trouble in the first inning over the season’s first few months than they have had of late, but being down early was both familiar and usually a bad omen.
But like last night, after trailing 1-0, the Rangers were next to score when in the bottom of the second they plated a couple on ground balls to shortstop where Texas essentially stole a few runs by being aggressive versus the arm and defensive acumen of Gunnar Henderson.
Sloppy defense allowed Ezequiel Duran to reach third base on an errant pickoff attempt following a single and then Duran scored on a fielder’s choice ground ball off the bat of Evan Carter where Henderson couldn’t gun down Duran despite the infield being drawn in.
Carter took second base on a Kyle Bradish wild pitch and then scored on a weakly hit grounder off the bat of Jake Burger that Bradish attempted to take a stab at barehanded which potentially made Henderson unable to field it. Though the ball squirted away from Henderson by only few feet, Carter just kept running and scored on the throw giving Texas a couple of runs on a couple of fairly routine ground balls.
Meanwhile, deGrom settled in after the first inning home run and ended up tossing five innings with just the one run allowed on three hits and a walk. deGrom struck out nine and left after throwing 88 pitches.
The Rangers likely would have preferred it if deGrom had lasted another inning or two after Jacob Latz pitched two innings last night, but Peyton Gray and Chase Silseth followed deGrom and combined to throw three shutout innings.
It seemed as though Gray and Silseth had saved Latz from another extended outing but he wasn’t needed at all as Corey Seager hit a two-out, three-run blast in the bottom of the eighth for all the insurance that Texas could need.
Cal Quantrill got the ninth instead and the Rangers closed things out with a win to push them back above .500. Also, the Houston Astros lost so the Rangers are only a half game back in the American League West.
Player of the Game: The pitching was great. Austin Wynns had an impressive ten-pitch at-bat and two of Texas’ six hits. But…
Welcome back, Mr. World Series MVP.
Up Next: The Rangers close out this series eyeing a sweep with Kumar Rocker expected to make the start for Texas against LHP Cade Povich for Baltimore.
The Sunday afternoon first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 1:35 pm CDT and will be aired back on the Rangers Sports Network.
