Orioles 6, Rangers 3
ARLINGTON, Texas, Aug 3 — The Texas Rangers lost a close one on Wednesday to the Baltimore Orioles by a final score of 6–3. With this loss, the Rangers were handed the sweep by Baltimore. The only spark came from a solo home run by Marcus Semien in the bottom of the ninth inning. The only thing they can do now is move on to their next series. That four-game series will be against the Chicago White Sox, and it will begin on Thursday evening at Globe Life Field. Right-hander Johnny Cueto (4–4, 2.86 ERA) will toe the slab for the White Sox. The Rangers, meanwhile, will send left-hander Cole Ragans (0–0, -,– ERA) to the mound in this one. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM Central. Here is the recap for Tuesday’s series finale against the Orioles.
Early Lead for Rangers
The Rangers did something on Wednesday that they have not done in quite some time. They got on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Right-fielder Adolis Garcia hit a single off Orioles starter Kyle Bradish. This base hit allowed Kyle Seager, who was serving as the Rangers’ DH in this one, to score easily. The Rangers trailed 2–1 in the bottom of the seventh inning. That would change soon enough, however.
With two outs, catcher Jonah Heim stepped up to the plate. Moments later, he blasted a solo home run into the seats in right field to tie the game 2–2. The Rangers third, and final run against the Orioles came in the bottom of the ninth inning. With nobody on base, Marcus Semien stepped up to the plate. He promptly deposited a ball into the left field seats to cut the Orioles’ lead in half to make it 6–3.
Orioles’ Offense
The Orioles got their offense going in the top of the second inning. They tied the game 1–1 on a solo home run by left-fielder Ryan McKenna. Their second run of the game on another solo home run. This one came off the bat of former Ranger Robinson Chirinos. The score was now 2–1 in favor of the Orioles. In the top of the eighth inning, the Orioles took a 3–2 lead on an RBI double by Terrin Vavra. This allowed Jorge Mateo to score. Moments later, Chirinos drove in Vavra with a single.
The Orioles scored their fifth and final run in the top of the ninth inning. A double by right-fielder Anthony Santander drove in Adley Rutschman. This made the score 5–2 in favor of Baltimore. Their final run against the Rangers came on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning. The wild pitch was thrown by reliever Jonathan Hernandez, and it allowed Santander to score.
Pitching Notes
Lefty Martin Perez started this one for the Rangers. He held the Orioles to just one run through six innings. That run came on five hits. Perez also walked three, struck out nine, and allowed one home run. He did not factor in the decision, but logged his 19th consecutive start without taking a loss, tying Cole Hamels (2015-16) for the franchise record (credit Elias Sports Bureau). It is the longest streak in MLB this season and the longest single-season streak in franchise history.
Righty Jose Leclerc took the loss for the Rangers. He pitched 1 2/3 innings against the Orioles. Leclerc gave up two earned runs on two hits. He also walked one, and struck out one. Left-hander Cionel Perez got the winning decision for the Orioles. He came on in relief and pitched an inning and a third in relief. He retired every batter that he faced, striking out one. There was no save recorded in the matchup between the Rangers and Orioles.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Johnny Cueto, Cole Ragans, Adolis Garcia, Kyle Bradish, Kyle Seager, Jonah Heim, Marcus Semien, Ryan McKenna, Robinson Chirinos, Terrin Vavra, Jorge Mateo, Anthony Santander, Adley Rutschman, Jonathan Hernandez, Martin Perez, Cole Hamels, Jose Leclerc, Cionel Perez
