The Texas Rangers scored ten runs while the Chicago White Sox scored zero runs.
Coming into tonight’s game, the Rangers had allowed exactly 100 runs in the month of July in 13 games. That’s a ghastly 7.7 runs per game. There had been losses of 9-4, 13-1, 9-3, 15-1, 10-3 to list a few of the more unseemly blowout defeats this month. Here recently the Rangers had allowed 39 runs in four game since the start of the second half.
The Rangers were due for a little ass kicking of their own and they delivered
with one of their more lopsided wins in recent memory.
Texas scored at least one run in the five of the game’s first six innings with four runs coming in the fifth. Every member of the starting lineup had at least one hit. Brandon Nimmo had a four-hit night with a two-run dong that opened the scoring.
No. 9 hitter Alejandro Osuna went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Wyatt Langford had two more hits, scored twice, and hit a two-run home run that poured salt in the Chicago wound.
Meanwhile tonight’s starter Kumar Rocker allowed a leadoff single in the top of the fourth and then the White Sox didn’t collect their second hit of the night until former Rangers farmhand Luisangel Acuna singled in the top of the eighth. Acuna pitched the last inning for Chicago and they finished with just three hits.
Of course, even in a blowout win nothing is every perfect for the Rangers as No. 3 hitter Josh Jung exited with calf tightness. Nevertheless, it was nice to see the Rangers on this side of one of these kinds of games again after being victimized by them frequently in recent weeks.
The win keeps Texas above .500 with a shot at a series win against Chicago tomorrow night.
Player of the Game: The Rangers scored ten runs. They worked the White Sox’ pitching over for 18 hits. There was plenty to like from the lineup tonight, but what Texas really needed was an outing like the one they got from Rocker.
With the pitching sputtering of late, Rocker took the bump and allowed just one hit to division-leading Chicago — a team that scored ten runs off Texas last night — with two walks and six strikeouts over six innings of shutout ball.
It took Rocker an economical 75 pitches to make it through six innings. Rocker was the final rotation regular to make his first start of the second half and he saved the best for last.
Also, Marco Gonzales — pitching in the big leagues for the first time since 2024 — made his team debut with the Rangers and pitched the final three shutout innings while picking up a quite Wes Littleton-esque save in the blowout win.
Up Next: The Rangers and White Sox close out this series with a rubber match featuring RHP Cal Quantrill for Texas against LHP Anthony Kay for Chicago.
The Wednesday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and will be carried on the Rangers Sports Network.
