Orioles 2, Rangers 0
ARLINGTON, Tex. (Apr 3) — The Baltimore Orioles came into Arlington on Monday evening and snapped the Texas Rangers‘ three-game winning streak with a 2–0 victory. They were able to keep the AL West leaders at bay with solo home runs off the bats of Gunnar Henderson and Jorge Mateo. The middle game of this three-game set is on Tuesday at 7:05 pm Central at Globe Life Field. The Orioles have yet to name their starting pitcher for that game, while lefty Andrew Heaney (first 2023 appearance) will toe the slab for the Rangers.
Henderson Goes Deep
The Orioles broke a scoreless tie that stood until the top of the fourth inning in this one. Third baseman Gunnar Henderson hit a solo home run to left-center field off Rangers starter Jon Gray. After seeing the home nine win the last three games, it was a bit of a strange sight for Rangers fans to see their team trail on the scoreboard for the first time this season.
The Orioles added to their lead over the Rangers in the top of the fifth inning. This time it came off the bat of shortstop Jorge Mateo in the form of another solo homer. Like Henderson’s bomb, this one also went to left-center off Jon Gray.
Pitching Notes
Gray took a tough-luck loss in his season debut (L, 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R-ER, 2 BB, 6 SO, 2 HR, 97 pitches/65 strikes). He produced the longest outing by a Rangers starter this season. Both runs he allowed came on the solo home runs by Henderson and Mateo. He induced a team season-high 13 swing-and-miss strikes, including whiffs on 6 of 34 (17.6%) sliders thrown (Statcast). He committed the first “Pitch Timer Violation” of his career during a third-inning plate appearance by Adley Rutschman.
Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish left the game with a right foot contusion after being struck by a Jonah Heim liner in the bottom of the second inning. Preliminary X-rays were negative for a fracture. He will undergo further evaluation and testing. He posted 1 2/3 scoreless innings in his season debut before his exit. Lefty Danny Coulombe got the winning decision (1–0, 0.00) for the Orioles, and Felix Bautista recorded his second save of the season.
Josh Smith
Rangers left-fielder Josh H. Smith exited the game in the bottom of the third after he was struck on the right side of his face by a pitch. He was taken to an area hospital for further scans and testing on his face and jaw. All tests were clean, and he will be evaluated again on Tuesday.
Bruce Bochy’s Postgame Comments
In his postgame media session, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy was asked whether the early change in pitchers from the Orioles had any effect. He responded, “It happens, and you have to adjust. That’s part of the game. You have to give them credit. They did a great job. We had a tough time figuring their guys out.”
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Bochy also fielded questions about the status of Josh Smith, and what kind of effect it had on the team. He said, “It’s always scary to get hit in the face. The ball hit the lower jaw, and we did take him to the ER. He had some CT tests, and they came out clean. So we have good news there, and he’s feeling better as I’m speaking right now. Tomorrow we’ll reevaluate and see where we are.”
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