Rangers 9, Rays 5
ARLINGTON, Texas, May 30 — The Texas Rangers started their new home stand in style on Memorial Day by winning the opener in a four-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays by a final score of 9–5. One of the main contributors in this contest was Rangers’ center fielder Eli White. White had two hits, two RBI, and two runs scored. He also robbed a home run from Rays’ first baseman Ji-Man Choi in the top of the first inning. Tuesday marks the second game in this series. Texas will send AL ERA leader Martin Perez (3–2, 1.60 ERA) to the mound. Tampa Bay will counter with lefty Ryan Yarbrough (0–1, 3.98 ERA). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM Central.
The White Night
As mentioned, Eli White had quite a night on Monday, but it wasn’t before Kole Calhoun got things rolling in the top of the first inning. He put the Rangers ahead 2–0 on a single that drove in Marcus Semien, and Corey Seager. White’s first shining moment came in the bottom of the second inning. He blasted his second home run of the year to extend the Texas Rangers’ lead to 4–1. In the bottom of the third inning, Rangers’ catcher Jonah Heim joined the parade with a home run of his own. It was of the solo variety.
The Rangers would not score again until the bottom of the sixth inning. An RBI single by Semien made it 6–2 in favor of Texas. Newcomer Josh Smith scored on the play. Incidentally, Smith made his MLB debut on Tuesday, and had three hits, becoming the fifth player in Rangers’ history to get three hits in their MLB debut. He joins Joey Gallo, Rusty Greer, Jeff Kunkel, George Wright, and Nomar Mazara in that elite club. He is the first to do it since Mazara did it against the Los Angeles Angels in 2016.
Later in the bottom of the sixth inning, Mitch Garver drove in two more with a double to make it 8–2. White and Semien scored on the play. Moments later, they scored their final run of the evening. A double by Calhoun scored Garver, and made it 9–2 Rangers.
Rays’ Offense
The Rays got on the board in the top of the second inning. Taylor Walls scored on a sacrifice fly by Vidal Brujan. They scored their second run three innings later. Wander Franco singled to center field to drive in Kevin Kiermaier. Coincidentally, Kiermaier would drive in the Rays’ third run on a single in the top of the seventh inning. It brought Isaac Paredes home. Brujan scored their fourth run of the evening on an RBI single by Franco. Kiermaier scored their final run later in the inning. Randy Arozarena drove him home on yet another single.
Rangers Pitching Notes
Right-hander Glenn Otto got the start for the Rangers on Monday. He pitched well. In six innings, Otto gave up two runs, one of which was earned, on four hits. He walked three, struck out four, and earned the winning decision. His record for 2022 is now 3–2, with an ERA of 4.33. Matt Moore pitched in the seventh. He faced five batters, however he couldn’t record an out. He gave up three earned runs on four hits. Moore walked one, and didn’t strike anyone out.
Next out of the bullpen for the Rangers was Dennis Santana. Santana finished the seventh for Moore. He didn’t allow any runs, hits, or walks and had one strikeout. Matt Bush took over for Santana in the eighth inning. He also pitched a perfect inning, while striking out two. Joe Barlow was the last one to pitch against the Rays on Monday. He gave up two hits in the ninth, and struck out two to finish it.
Right-hander Drew Rasmussen got the start for the Rays, and took the loss for them. He pitched three innings, and gave up five earned runs one five hits. He walked three, struck out three, and gave up two home runs. His record for 2022 now sits at 5–2, with an ERA of 3.47. There was no save recorded. This was a good win for the Rangers over the Rays.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Eli White, Ji-Man Choi, Martin Perez, Kole Calhoun, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Jonah Heim, Josh Smith, Nomar Mazara, Mitch Garver, Taylor Walls, Vidal Brujan, Wander Franco, Kevin Kiermaier, Isaac Paredes, Randy Arozarena, Glenn Otto, Matt Moore, Dennis Santana, Matt Bush, Joe Barlow, Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Yarbrough, Joey Gallo, Rusty Greer, Jeff Kunkel, George Wright
