Rangers Rally, but Fall Short against Reds

April 27, 2024

Reds 8, Rangers 4

ARLINGTON, Tex. (Apr 27) — The Texas Rangers fought hard but lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 8–4, on Saturday afternoon. A four-hit game by Jonathan India helped the Reds even this three-game series. The Rangers will go for the series win on Sunday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 pm Central. The Reds will send lefty Andrew Abbott (1–2, 2.60 ERA) to the mound, and right-hander Dane Dunning (2–2, 4.61 ERA) will get the ball for the Rangers.

Behind the Eight Ball

For the first time in several days, the Rangers managed to keep their opponent off the scoreboard in the first inning. Their mood dampened, however, in the top of the second. With former Red Michael Lorenzen on the bump for the Rangers, Christian Encarnacion-Strand reached on a hit-by-pitch to lead off the inning. Lorenzen followed that by issuing a free pass to Jake Fraley. On deck was Tyler Stephenson, who singled to right, advancing Encarnacion-Strand to third. Moments later, India scored Encarnacion-Strand on a single to right, giving the Reds a 1–0 lead. Nick Martini drove in Fraley with a sacrifice fly to center.

In the top of the fourth, India made it 3–0 Reds by bringing Encarnacion-Strand home with another single that went to left. The Reds stretched their lead to 5–0 in the top of the seventh. Stephenson was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Up next was India, who collected his third RBI hit of the afternoon, a two-run dinger to right. It also marked the fourth multi-hit game of his career. This forced Rangers manager Bruce Bochy to bring in Jose Urena to relieve Lorenzen. The first batter Urena faced was Martini, who singled to center. Two batters later, Will Benson stepped in and blasted his fourth homer of the year, a two-run shot to right. The Reds added one more in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly to left by Martini that plated Luke Maile, who singled to right in the previous at-bat.

Rangers Chip Away

By the time the bottom of the ninth inning came around, many of the fans were heading for the exits. Those who stuck around saw a hopeful Rangers team put together a rally. Leody Taveras led off the frame with a single to right off reliever Brent Suter. Taveras advanced to second on defensive indifference. Moments later Davis Wendzel, who was brought in on defense earlier for Jonah Heim, hit a two-run blast to left-center to get the Rangers on the board. It was the first home run of Wendzel’s career.

On deck was Corey Seager, who was celebrating his 30th birthday on Saturday. He made it back-to-back homers by sending one over the wall in right. It was the second time this week, and this season, that the Rangers hit back-to-back homers. It was also the second time in Seager’s career that he has gone yard on his birthday. What made it stand out even more was that Seager was added to the lineup less than an hour before first pitch. The Rangers scored their fourth and final run on a double to right by Josh Smith that plated Nathaniel Lowe, who singled to center and advanced to second on defensive indifference earlier in the inning.

What Went Right for the Reds

India’s four-hit game was a huge contribution to the Reds’ win. The two runs scored by Encarnacion-Strand and Benson’s home run were big factors as well. It seemed like the offense was clicking on this muggy afternoon in Arlington.

What Went Wrong for the Reds

Up until the bottom of the ninth, it looked like the Reds were going to hold the World Series champions scoreless. That’s no easy feat by any means. They gave up the home runs to Wendzel and Seager, and the Rangers had the bases loaded when they were down to their final out. This game got interesting in a hurry, and the Reds’ pitching staff was barely able to shut the door.

Tough Day for Lorenzen

Lorenzen was dealt his first loss as a Ranger after permitting a season-high five runs, all earned, in his third start of the campaign. His final line was 6 IP, 6 H, 5 R-ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 2 HB, 100 pitches/68 strikes. Lorenzen was in line for a Quality Start before surrendering the three-run homer in the top of the seventh to India, the final batter he faced. Saturday’s outing marked his second career appearance at Globe Life Field, as he last pitched at this venue on September 22, 2022 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels. He took a no-decision in that outing with a line of 5 IP, 2 H, 3 R-ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Lorenzen is 2–1 with a 4.24 ERA, 14 strikeouts, and nine walks in 2024.

Hunter Greene got the win for the Reds. He fired seven scoreless innings, limiting the Rangers to one hit, a double by Josh Smith. Greene racked up six strikeouts and walked one. The last Reds hurler to record a scoreless start of seven-plus innings with six-plus strikeouts, one or zero hits, and one or zero walks was also Greene on June 6, 2022 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Greene’s record for the 2024 season now sits at 1–2 with an ERA of 3.63. After coming in to get the last two outs in the ninth, Alexis Diaz earned his eighth save of the season.

Postgame Comments

After the game, Bochy commented on the Rangers offense. “We’ve been sputtering a bit,” Bochy said. “It’s been hit and miss with the offense. So it’s always good to show a lot of life there with some good at-bats. We’ll come out and be ready to go tomorrow.”

He also discussed the hitting of Corey Seager. “These guys are human. With Corey (Seager), come on, we know he’s going to hit. The guy missed all of spring training and really couldn’t do a lot this winter. I thought this would be a slow process with him getting in the flow of things like he normally is. Yeah, he’s fine. He’s one of the best hitters in the game, so I’m not concerned about Corey. It’ll be fine. He’s gonna get his hits, his home runs. We’re not worried about him, but again, it’s always good to make good, hard contact for anybody that’s trying to find that groove that they normally are in.”