DENVER (AP) — Kumar Rocker tossed a career-high 7 2/3 innings, Brandon Nimmo homered, and the Texas Rangers beat the Colorado Rockies 10-0 on Tuesday night.
Ezequiel Duran continued his hot start to the series with two doubles and a single, giving the Texas shortstop six hits in the first two games. Joc Pederson had four of the Rangers' season-high 16 hits.
Rocker (2-4) entered in the second inning and held Colorado down while his offense built a lead.
Troy Johnston and Tyler Freeman had consecutive one-out singles in the second but Rocker retired 14 of the next 15. He left after hitting Ezequiel Tovar with two outs in the ninth.
The third overall pick in the 2022 draft, Rocker fanned seven on a career-high 103 pitches. He hasn’t allowed a run in 13 1/3 innings.
Colorado center fielder Brenton Doyle left the game in the middle of the first inning when he was injured making a diving attempt on Duran’s double. He was replaced by Freeman, who had one of the three Rockies hits.
Catcher Brett Sullivan pitched a scoreless ninth for Colorado.
The teams played in chilly conditions for the second straight night. Temperatures were in the 40s Monday and Tuesday was overcast and 50 at first pitch.
Colorado opener Sammy Peralta, who made his first career start and season debut, didn’t last a full inning. Peralta (0-1) allowed two runs on two hits and hit a batter before being replaced by Tanner Gordon.
The Rangers got to Gordon in the second inning with three two-out RBI singles to build a 5-0 lead. Nimmo hit a two-run homer in the fourth, Justin Foscue had a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Texas scored single runs in the seventh and eighth inning
Rangers RHP Jack Leiter (1-4, 4.35 ERA) will face Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-5, 7.22) to wrap up the series Wednesday.
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