Mariners Blank Rangers in Series Opener

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

April 23, 2024

Mariners 4, Rangers 0

ARLINGTON, Tex. (Apr 23) — The Texas Rangers fell victim to the Seattle Mariners, 4–0, in their series opener on Tuesday in front of a crowd of 27,295. A pair of two-run dingers by Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez was all the fuel the Mariners needed in this contest. The Rangers will have the opportunity to even the series on Wednesday evening at Globe Life Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm Central. Right-hander Bryce Miller (3–1, 1.85 ERA) will take the mound for the Mariners, and the Rangers will counter with Jon Gray (0–1, 3.15 ERA).

Raleigh Trolley

The Mariners scored quickly in the top of the first off Rangers right-hander Dane Dunning. Their lead came courtesy of Cal Raleigh, who blasted a two-run home run to right. J.P. Crawford, who doubled to right to lead off the game against Dunning, was on base at the time. The Mariners added two more in the top of the third. Josh Rojas led off the frame with a double to left. Two batters later, Julio Rodriguez brought him home with a two-run shot to left-center.

What Went Right for the Mariners

The Mariners sprinkled a little bit of everything into this win. The home runs by Raleigh and Rodriguez did the trick for them offensively. Their starting pitcher, Logan Gilbert, surrendered no runs. He also didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning.

What Went Wrong for the Mariners

As previously mentioned, the only speed bump the Mariners encountered came in the bottom of the fourth. Gilbert allowed a two-out double to right by Josh H. Smith. It was the fifth double of the year for the young third baseman. Smith was one of only two Rangers players to reach second base on the evening. Nathaniel Lowe was the other, having led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to center off Gilbert.

Pitching Notes

For the Rangers, Dunning suffered the loss after exiting with one out in the top of the fifth and the Rangers trailing, 4–0. His final line was 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R-ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 2 HR, 89 pitches/52 strikes. This start was his shortest outing of the season, as he had logged at least five innings in each of his previous four outings. Dunning now leads the Rangers with seven home runs allowed in 2024. He matched his season high with seven strikeouts and induced 16 swing-and-miss strikes (Statcast), his second-most whiffs in any outing this season. Dunning is now 2–2 with a 4.61 ERA, 29 strikeouts, and 16 walks in five starts this season.

For the Mariners, Gilbert earned his second win of the season, holding the Rangers off the board for 6 2/3 frames. He departed with two outs in the seventh and runners on first and third, but reliever Ryne Stanek induced an inning-ending groundout to escape the threat. Gilbert worked around a career-high-tying walks to craft his longest scoreless outing since tossing seven scoreless innings on August 8, 2023 against the San Diego Padres. He now owns a record of 2–0 with an ERA of 1.87.

Postgame Comments

After the game, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy had to tip his cap to Gilbert. “We faced a really good pitcher tonight,” Bochy said. “He has velocity, and the cutter and slider were all working for him. He’s been tough on a lot of teams and you’ve got your hands full when they’re on top of their game. So we just couldn’t do a lot as far as getting guys on base and putting some pressure on them. When you’re facing a good pitcher, and you get those opportunities, you hope to cash in your chances,” Bochy added.

“There’s a good chance you’re not gonna get a lot of them. Early, we had a couple of good at-bats there for walks and had some good hitters up there. But he made pitches. Again, you’re talking about somebody with really good stuff, made the pitches when he had to. So, you know, it was a tough night for the hitters.” He also commented on his team as a whole. “Guys are getting settled,” Bochy said. “I think that’s fair to say with some of these guys who missed some time in spring training. They are guys that we want to get settled in. It’s early. We’re in April. I mean, we’re not playing like that. We feel like we’re going out there every night [to win] the ballgame but at the same time, there’s some guys not quite locked in.”