Angels 8, Rangers 3
ARLINGTON, Texas, Apr 17 — It may have been Easter Sunday, but unfortunately a victory was not in the Texas Rangers‘ basket on this particular day. Instead, Sunday’s events saw the Rangers lose another one. Over the holiday weekend, the Los Angeles Angels came into Globe Life Field and won three out of four games against the Rangers. The final score of Sunday afternoon’s matinee was 8–3. The Rangers’ record now sits at 2–7 on the season. After a day off on Monday, they travel to the West Coast. They’ll start a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday at T-Mobile Park. Then they have another three-game set against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland. In the meantime, here is a recap of Sunday’s action.
Trout Goes Out
The only thing that really went wrong for the Angels on Sunday was an injury to centerfielder Mike Trout. In the top of the fifth inning, Rangers’ reliever Spencer Patton hit Trout on the left hand with a pitch. Trainers immediately came to tend to Trout. To prevent any further injuries, they took him out of the game. He was replaced by Brandon Marsh. Marsh would also play center field for the Halos for the remainder of the game. Meanwhile, the x-rays on Trout were deemed negative, and he is listed as day-to-day.
Angels’ Offense
The Angels scored early in the top of the first inning. Shohei Ohtani crossed the plate on a passed ball by Rangers’ catcher Mitch Garver. In the top of the third inning, Trout hit a double to right that drove in Tyler Wade. A moment later, Jack Mayfield brought Trout in with a single. Then Matt Duffy singled to bring in Taylor Ward. It also moved Mayfield to third base. The Angels wouldn’t score again until the top of the sixth inning.
The score was 4–3 at this point. Andrew Velazquez made it 5–3 on a single that scored Jo Adell. Then Tyler Wade came up again. He drove in Velazquez with a single, extending their nice lead to 6–3. Later on in the top of the 8th inning, the Angels added on another run. Ohtani grounded into a force out. This play brought in Kurt Suzuki. Their final run of the afternoon came on yet another force out. This time, Brandon Marsh was at the dish. The play drove in Velazquez.
Rangers Lack of Offense
Fans never like to see their Rangers lose. They’re hoping that brighter days are ahead. The Rangers pushed across three runs on Sunday. Their first run tied the game at 1–1 in bottom of the second inning. Willie Calhoun doubled to right field. This drove in Charlie Culberson. Their last two runs came courtesy of Adolis Garcia. In the bottom of the third inning, he hit a two-run shot to center field. Nathaniel Lowe was on base at the time of the blast. Garcia’s home run made it 4–3 in favor of the Angels at that point.
Rangers Pitching
Left-hander Martin Perez got the start for Texas on this Easter Sunday. He pitched four innings. In those four frames, he gave up four runs, three of which were earned, on five hits. He walked three, struck out five, and didn’t give up any home runs. Perez took the losing decision. His record for 2022 now sits at 0–2. The Rangers also used Spencer Patton, Brock Burke, John King, Nick Snyder, Brett Martin, and Matt Bush. Their bullpen has become an area of concern.
Time will tell if they can get better. The Rangers’ players and coaches have to be getting tired of losing. The good news, however, is that they start a brand new series on Tuesday. Reliever Mike Mayers got the win for the Angels on Sunday. He is now 1–0 on the year. He came on in the fifth inning, and only pitched the last two thirds of it. That, however, was good enough to earn the decision. Mayers only gave up one one walk. Right-hander Jimmy Herget got the hold for the Angels, his first of the year. There was no save in this game. It would be nice for the coaching staff if they didn’t have to use the words “Rangers lose” in their postgame comments.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Mike Trout, Spencer Patton, Brandon Marsh, Shohei Ohtani, Mitch Garver, Tyler Wade, Jack Mayfield, Matt Duffy, Taylor Ward, Andrew Velazquez, Jo Adell, Kurt Suzuki, Willie Calhoun, Charlie Culberson, Adolis Garcia, Nathaniel Lowe, Martin Perez, Brock Burke, John King, Nick Snyder, Brett Martin, Matt Bush, Mike Mayers, Jimmy Herget
