The Texas Rangers scored seven runs while the Arizona Diamondbacks scored six runs.
Back on June 30, coincidentally on the exact day the Rangers secured their last road series win before today’s victory, AJM wrote about how the Rangers being unable to grab an extra bag on base hits was hindering their run production.
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After Texas went up 2-0 just two batters into the game when Corey Seager hit a monstrous two-run home run, the game settled in at that score until Josh Jung led off the top of fourth with a single and then scampered to second base on a Brandon Nimmo single and then went to third base on a two-out Ezequiel Duran single and then didn’t score because Elias Diaz struck out with the bases loaded.
In the bottom of the inning, two pitches after the Rangers had spent like 25 minutes getting three hits and not scoring, Gabriel Moreno hit a solo home run off of Cal Quantrill to make it a 2-1 game. It felt for a moment like we were in for a repeat of Friday’s loss — and many similar losses throughout the summer — where the Rangers failed to score with the bases loaded in a close game only for the opponent to pounce the next half inning.
Quantrill buckled down and prevented the Diamondbacks from getting anything else going and the game remained 2-1. However, something interesting happened the next inning. After an out, Justin Foscue reached on an error and then took off for third base on a Seager single and made it just before the throw. It was an aggressive play on the bases, one we haven’t seen very often.
It paid off. Jung followed with a single that Arizona left fielder Lars Nootbaar got nutmegged on which allowed two runs to score and Jung to reach second base. After an out, Nimmo singled in Jung to put the Rangers up 5-1. An inning after that, the Rangers added a couple more runs to go up big.
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Quantrill ended up with his customary weekly quality start and though Tyler Alexander ran into some trouble in the seventh to allow the Diamondbacks to get back in the game, Robert Garcia was good for a scoreless inning before Jacob Latz escaped the ninth with a save to give the Rangers their first road series win since the first day of July.
There’s only two weeks left. Let’s go gambling!
Player of the Game: Seager finished the day with a team-best three hits and three RBIs while also scoring a couple of runs. The Rangers need their superstar shortstop to be a superstar difference maker in the season’s final couple of weeks and today was a good start.
Up Next: The Rangers have Monday off before beginning a series back at The Shed against the Boston Red Sox beginning on Tuesday evening.
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