Rangers 5, Angels 3
ARLINGTON, Texas, Sep 22 — A late rally propelled the Texas Rangers to a series victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday afternoon by a final score of 5–3. Corey Seager’s 32nd home run of the season broke a 3–3 tie in the eighth inning, and secured the win for the Rangers. It also secured the series victory in this three-game stretch. The Rangers will host the Cleveland Guardians next. That three-game set will start on Friday evening at 7:05 PM Central at Globe Life Field.
Late Rangers Rally
The game stayed scoreless until the top of the third inning. A double by outfielder Mike Trout drove in Magneuris Sierra, and Luis Rengifo to give the Angels a 2–0 lead. Later in the inning, the Angels would make it 3–0 on an RBI double by Taylor Ward. Trout scored on this play. The Rangers got on the board in the bottom half of the third inning. A double to left field by Marcus Semien drove in Josh Smith. Neither team would score again until the bottom of the sixth inning.
Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe made the score 3–2 on a sharp single to left field that brought Leody Taveras home. It also advanced Corey Seager to second base. The Rangers late rally continued as Seager scored to tie the game 3–3 on an infield single by Adolis Garcia. It was Seager that gave the Rangers the lead in their late rally. With Semien on base, Seager hit a two-run homer to left-center field to give the Rangers a 5–3 lead.
Pitching Notes
Left-hander Martin Perez did not factor into the decision on Thursday, as he exited with the game tied at 3–3 after six innings. He allowed three earned runs on five hits, and three walks while recording five strikeouts. One of them was his 900th career strikeout in the opening frame. The batter was Luis Rengifo. Perez has gone 2–1 with a 2.96 ERA (8 R-ER/24 1/3 IP) across four starts in September,
This comes after going 1–3, with an ERA of 4.24 (18 R-16 ER/34 IP) over six starts in August. He has produced a career-high 21 quality starts over 30 outings this season. It is the most by a Ranger over the span of a single campaign since Cole Hamels in 2016 (22). Thursday marked his 28th consecutive start of 5+ innings pitched, matching the longest such streak by a left-handed pitcher in Texas history (also 28-Kenny Rogers from 8/30/95-7/24/00). Matt Moore got the winning decision for the Rangers. His record for 2022 now sits at 5–2, with an ERA of 1.99. Jose Quijada got the loss for the Angels. His record is now 0–5, with an ERA of 3.79. Righty Jose Leclerc recorded his seventh save of the year.
Additional Notes
Marcus Semien reached base safely in three of his four plate appearances (2B, 1B, BB). This included an RBI double in the third inning which put the Rangers on the board for the first time on Thursday. Semien has hits in nine of his last ten games (beg. 9/12) at .425 (17-for-40), and is slashing .345/.389/.595/.984 (29-84) with 3 HR, 10 2B, 13 RBI, and 14 R over 20 games in September to raise his season batting average from .239 to season-high .254.
Due to the Rangers’ late rally, the Angels have now dropped back into fourth place in the AL West, losing two straight after having won four of their previous five games. Thursday was the club’s 19th loss in their final at-bat. The Rangers’ ten wins against the Angels this season are their second-most over any single opponent (11 against the Oakland A’s). It is now the most over the Angels in a single season since 2019 (10–9). The first five batters in the Rangers’ lineup today went 6-for-19. Each of the Rangers’ last four games have been played in under three hours.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Corey Seager, Mike Trout, Magneuris Sierra, Luis Rengifo, Taylor Ward, Marcus Semien, Josh Smith, Nathaniel Lowe, Leody Taveras, Adolis Garcia, Martin Perez, Cole Hamels, Kenny Rogers, Matt Moore, Jose Quijada, Jose Leclerc
