The Texas Rangers scored ten runs while the Detroit Tigers scored four runs.
With one out in the bottom of the fourth in tonight’s game, the Rangers collected their first hit with RISP on the night despite several lengthy rallies in the early innings. Fret not, though, that RBI single by Ezequiel Duran scored Texas’ fifth run of the game. Previously they had scored via a Elias Diaz solo home run, a bases loaded walk, a sac fly, and a Josh Jung RBI double following a Nicky Lopez single.
The Rangers
had eight hits before they had one with runners in scoring position. It was a humorous twist to the kinds of nights where Texas experienced frustrating missed opportunities that fed into disappointing losses.
Of course, the bizarre sequencing was only humorous because they found other ways to score against a floundering Framber Valdez. For a while, it didn’t seem like they’d need too many runs at all anyway.
Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi was cruising along with a ton of strikeouts and swings and misses as he hadn’t allowed a hit to Detroit through the first four innings while Texas built a comfortable lead. However, in the top of the fifth, the first hit by a Tiger came via a solo home run from Colt Keith on a 0-2 pitch way above the zone.
Eovaldi seemed to be rattled by Keith reaching up and yanking one out as, following the first out of the inning, four of the next five batters reached via a hit, including a two-run home run by No. 9 hitter Hao-Yu Lee. Suddenly a comfortable game was transformed into a close 5-3 contest and Detroit had the tying run on base with Eovaldi sputtering.
Eovaldi was able to get the final out of the inning to end the threat but after a double to lead off the top of the sixth, the veteran exited having tossed just five innings despite most of those being dominant. Eovaldi ended up striking out nine in those five innings but in a rare instance of running out of gas, the bullpen was tasked with getting through the remaining four innings.
The bats eventually made that job a little easier as Josh Smith pinch hit for Justin Foscue and hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth. An inning later, Texas suddenly got all those RISP hits that eluded them a few hours prior as six consecutive Rangers reached base with two outs and Alejandro Osuna, Lopez, and Smith each produced an RBI single to turn the game into a blowout.
In the bottom of the eighth, Evan Carter hit his seventh home run of the year, a solo shot that gave Texas double digits for their final run of the evening.
Meanwhile, a quintet of Tyler Alexander (.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K), Peyton Gray (.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K), Robby Ahlstrom (.2 IP, 1K), Cole Winn (1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 K), and Gavin Collyer (1 IP, 1 H, 1 K) teamed up to work through those final four innings as they kept the Tigers from threatening while the bats caught fire in the late innings.
With this game in the books, the Rangers completed their 15 games in 15 days stretch that began with a loss to Minnesota all the way back on June 18. Overall, the Rangers went 10-5 during that stretch and clawed their way atop the AL West even with a brutal schedule.
Player of the Game: There were plenty of candidates from the lineup tonight with 17 hits between them. However, Jung did good work in the No. 2 hole with a double, a run, two walks, and two RBIs. The Texas third baseman was robbed of what was likely a second double which would have put him on base in each of his plate appearances on the night.
Up Next: The Rangers have a rare Friday off with Australia playing Egypt in the Round of 32 at “Dallas Stadium” next door tomorrow. This series will resume on Saturday with RHP Kumar Rocker set to pitch for Texas against RHP Jack Flaherty for Detroit.
The July 4 first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 3:05 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.
