Thoughts on a 6-5 Rangers win – Lone Star Ball
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Photo by Olivia Vega/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Rangers 6, Orioles 5
I prefer the weird games where the Rangers win to the weird games where the Rangers lose.
Jacob Latz, asked to make a spot start with Nathan Eovaldi reportedly due back in the rotation this weekend, exceeded expectations, to put it mildly.
Six no hit innings! Six! From Jacob Latz! That makes it a weird game right there!
The six innings were a career high for Latz, who went into the 7th inning up 4-0. Unfortunately, Latz remained stuck at six innings despite pitching into the seventh — a single by Ramon Laureano broke up the no-no, and then a four pitch walk to Gunnar Henderson ended Latz’s night.
And you thought six innings of no-hit ball from Jacob Latz was weird? Things got weirder.
Chris Martin, reliever extraordinaire, was summoned, and all seemed fine. No worries. The Rangers were up 4-0, Chris Martin is really good, things were going to be under control.
Things were not under control. Martin faced three batters, and allowed home runs to each of the three. A 4-0 lead turned into a 5-4 deficit. Gross.
Martin had allowed 37 home runs in his entire career prior to this game. 7.5% of his entire career home runs allowed came in that three batter stretch.
Per Stathead, only three other times has a pitcher faced three batters in a game, and allowed home runs to all three batters. All of them have occurred in the 21st century — B.J. Rosenberg in April, 2014, for the Phillies, Mauricio Llovera in August, 2021, for the Phillies, and Kaleb Ort on September 18, 2024, for the Astros.
The Llovera game in 2021 was the only one of those three previous games where the team allowing three homers in three batters still won the game. The Phillies were up 5-0 in the ninth, Llovera allowed homers to the first three batters, and then Ian Kennedy — who had been acquired just a month earlier from Your Texas Rangers — came in for the save, though Kennedy ended up facing the go-ahead run before closing it out.
Hoby Milner replaced Martin and avoided any more runs scoring, but I had given up on the game by that point. It was going to be another ridiculous 2025 loss, a defeat in a game where the Rangers took a no-hitter into the 7th.
But no! Texas tied it up in the 8th thanks to the indefatigable Sam Haggerty. Pinch hitting for Alejandro Osuna to lead off the inning, Haggerty walked, stole second, stole third, and scored on a Jonah Heim sac fly to make it 5-5.
Haggerty, by the way, has been a nice little contributor so far this season.
The top of the ninth led to more feelings of dread and a sure loss. Corey Seager singled and stole second — yes, gimpy-legged Corey Seager stole a base! Not only that, on two different occasions earlier in the game, he was sent home from third on plays where there was a potential play at the plate, and was safe both times! I’m worried he’s going to need to sit out Wednesday’s game after all that running.
That stolen base was just the 19th of Seager’s career, and his first of 2025. He matched his total of stolen bases from last year with that steal.
Anyway, despite Seager’s baserunning heroics, with him at second base and no one out, the inning ended with Seager still standing at second base. That seemed an ill omen. Surely the Orioles would walk it off in the ninth.
But no! #CanLukeJacksonPitchNow? Luke Jackson did pitch now! And retired all three batters he faced!
To the tenth, and the good news about the batters behind Seager going down 1-2-3 in the ninth was that Evan Carter got to be the Zombie Runner at second, and he’s a good baserunner. Josh Jung, sadly, had a miserable at bat to start the inning, swinging and missing at three straight pitches.
That meant the redoubtable Sam Haggerty had the chance to be a hero. He had a lengthy at bat, one that saw Evan Carter move to third base on a wild pitch, but ill fortunate struck again when, on the eighth pitch, he hit a grounder to second, which resulted in a throw home to nail Carter at the plate. Tie game, two out, runner at second, Orioles likely winning it in the bottom of the inning.
Lo, but wait! What is this we see! A replay challenge? A replay challenge that was successful, with Carter being ruled safe, giving Texas a 6-5 lead? What is this sorcery?
Things were handed over to Garcia for the tenth. A sac bunt to start things put the Zombie Runner at third with one out, and Garcia really needing a K on Dylan Carlson. Garcia got the K, with Carlson swinging at a changeup, before Jackson Holliday was retired on an F9 to end the game.
Just another weird day in the weird season for the 2025 Texas Rangers.
Jacob Latz hit 96.6 mph on his fastball, averaging 95.1 mph. Chris Martin hit 95.9 mph on his fastball. Hoby Milner’s fastball touched 89.2 mph. Luke Jackson’s fastball reached 96.3 mph. Robert Garcia topped out at 96.0 mph on his fastball.
Corey Seager had a 110.7 mph single and a 107.0 mph single. Wyatt Langford had a 107.3 mph line out. Kyle Higahioka had a 103.2 mph ground out. Alejandro Osuna had a 102.8 mph sacrifice fly and a 101.9 mph single. Adolis Garcia had a 100.3 mph fly out.
Just two games under .500. The Rangers continue their slow crawl back to a positive record.
