TORONTO — The Texas Rangers returned to the .500 mark over the weekend after sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays in a four-game road series at the Rogers Centre. In four tightly contested games, the Rangers managed to make the key plays needed to win each game.
GAME 1
RANGERS 6
BLUE JAYS 5
In the first game of the series, June 25, the Rangers edged out a 6-5 victory. A five-run third innings gave the Rangers just enough offense needed to win, even as the Blue Jays tried to fight back late in the game.
The Rangers immediately took control of the game when Joc Pederson hit a lead-off home run, giving Texas a 1-0 advantage.
After a scoreless second inning, the Rangers added five runs in the third inning. Wyatt Langford began the scoring run with a three-run home run, in which Nicky Lopez and Pederson also scored, bringing the score to 4-0.
Later on, Jake Burger hit a two-run home run, in which Corey Seager also scored, bringing the score to 6-0.
Following a scoreless fourth inning, the Blue Jays scored three runs in the fifth inning, trimming the deficit to 6-3. The next three innings didn’t feature any scoring, as both defenses played well.
Though the Blue Jays managed to trim the deficit to 6-5 with a two-run home run in the ninth inning, the Rangers’ defense managed to preserve the lead, capping off a 6-5 win and taking the lead in the series.
As a team, the Rangers batted 10 for 33 (.303) from the plate. Burger, Kyle Higashioka, Lopez and Pederson led with two hits each, while Langford and Alejandro Osuna added one hit each.
Pederson took top scoring honors with two runs, while Burger, Langford, Lopez and Seager added one run each.
Mackenzie Gore earned the win on the mound. Across seven innings, he struck out five batters and allowed just four hits, three earned runs and one walk.
Jakob Junis pitched the eighth inning, retiring all three batters he faced, striking out one and earning his 10th hold of the season. Jacob Latz pitched the ninth inning, striking out two batters and conceding two hits and two earned runs, earning his 15th save of the season.
GAME 2
RANGERS 5
BLUE JAYS 4
For the second game of the series, June 26, the Rangers edged out the Blue Jays 5-4. In a repeat of the first game, the Rangers built up an early lead and held off a late comeback attempt, picking up another win.
The Rangers once again took control of the game in the first inning. Langford, Josh Jung and Brandon Nimmo all scored, giving Texas a 3-0 lead.
After a scoreless second inning, the Rangers extended their lead to 5-0 in the third inning when Justin Foscue launched a two-run home run, in which Burger also scored. The next four innings didn’t feature any scoring.
In the eighth inning, the Blue Jays’ offense erupted for four runs, trimming the Rangers’ lead to 5-4. Despite that, the Rangers once again managed to maintain their lead, closing out a 5-4 victory.
As a team, the Rangers batted nine for 35 (.257) from the plate. Langford led the way with a three-hit performance. Ezequiel Duran and Foscue recorded two hits each, while Lopez and Nimmo added one hit each.
Burger, Foscue, Jung, Langford and Nimmo also scored one run each.
Nathan Eovaldi earned the win on the mound. He pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out nine batters and allowing just five hits and one walk.
Robby Ahlstrom pitched ⅓ of an inning, conceding two earned runs, one hit and one walk. Junis pitched ⅔ of an inning, striking out two batters and allowing three hits and two earned runs.
Latz pitched the ninth inning, allowing one walk and picking up his 16th save of the season.
GAME 3
RANGERS 7
BLUE JAYS 4
In the third game of the series, June 27, the Rangers picked up a 7-4 victory. Once again, the Rangers’ offense built up an early lead, and the defense managed to preserve the lead, as the Rangers clinched the series win.
The Rangers took command of the game in the first inning when Seager scored on an RBI single by Burger, building a 1-0 lead. The next three innings didn’t see any scoring.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Rangers’ offense scored five runs. Jung, Burger, Nimmo, Osuna and Duran all scored, bringing Texas’ lead to 6-0.
The Blue Jays got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two-run home run, trimming the Rangers’ lead to 6-2.
The Rangers extended their lead to 7-2 in the top of the sixth inning when Seager hit a solo home run. Toronto answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, bringing the score to 7-4.
The last three innings didn’t feature any scoring, as the Rangers closed out a 7-4 victory and clinched the series.
As a team, the Rangers batted 11 for 38 (.289) from the plate. Burger led the team with a three-hit performance. Osuna recorded two hits, while Elias Diaz, Duran, Jung, Lopez, Nimmo and Seager added one hit each.
Seager took top scoring honors with two runs, while Burger, Duran, Jung, Nimmo and Osuna added one run each.
Cal Quantrill started the game on the mound. Across four innings, he struck out five batters and allowed just two hits and one walk.
Ahlstrom pitched ⅓ of an inning, conceding three hits and two earned runs. Joe Ross pitched 1⅓ innings, striking out two batters and conceding four hits and two earned runs.
Peyton Gray pitched 2 ⅓ innings, striking out four batters and allowing only one hit, earning the win. Tyler Alexander pitched the ninth inning, retiring all three batters he faced and earning his third save of the season.
GAME 4
RANGERS 3
BLUE JAYS 2
For the fourth and final game of the series, June 28, the Rangers completed the series sweep with a 3-2 victory. After blowing a 2-0 lead late in the game, the Rangers managed to regain the lead on a wild pitch and preserved it in the ninth inning.
The Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Pederson hit a lead-off home run. Following four scoreless innings, the Rangers extended their lead to 2-0 in the sixth inning when Nimmo scored on an RBI single by Diaz.
After a scoreless seventh inning, the Blue Jays erased the Rangers’ lead with a two-run home run in the eighth inning, tying the score at 2-2.
In the top of the ninth inning, the Rangers got the lead back when Jarred Kelenic scored on a wild pitch. From there, Texas’ defense held onto the lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, preserving a 3-2 victory and a series sweep.
As a team, the Rangers batted eight for 33 (.242) from the plate. Diaz, Duran and Nimmo led with two hits each, while Lopez and Pederson added one hit each.
Kelenic, Nimmo and Pederson all scored one run each.
Kumar Rocker started the game on the mound. He pitched six scoreless innings, striking out five batters and allowing just four hits and one walk.
Cole Winn pitched two relief innings, striking out two batters and allowing two hits and two earned runs, earning the victory. Alexander pitched the ninth inning for the second straight game, retiring all three batters he faced (including a strikeout) and earning his fourth save of the season.
UP NEXT
With these wins, the Rangers improved to 42-42 on the season. They resumed action Monday, traveling to Cleveland for a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.