Seager Stays Hot as Rangers Sweep Diamondbacks

(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

May 29, 2024

Rangers 6, Diamondbacks 1

ARLINGTON, Tex. (May 28) — The Texas Rangers completed their mini two-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, beating them, 6–1, on Wednesday afternoon. A big home run by Corey Seager was the difference maker in this one, as it helped extend the Rangers’ winning streak to three. They have the chance to make it four in a row on Friday when they hit the road to face the Miami Marlins in a three-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm Eastern at loanDepot Park. Right-hander Jose Urena (1–4, 3.53 ERA) will get the ball for the Rangers, and the Marlins will counter with righty Sixto Sanchez (0–3, 6.25 ERA).

The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, will head to Flushing, Queens for a three-game set against the New York Mets. First pitch is slated for 7:10 pm Eastern at Citi Field. It will be a battle of righties as Zac Gallen (5–4, 3.12 ERA) will make the start for the Diamondbacks, and Christian Scott (0–2, 3.97 ERA) will toe the slab for the Metropolitans.

Small Ball

The Rangers got on the board in the bottom of the third against Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson. Wyatt Langford led off the frame with a single to left. Jonah Heim brought him home with a double that hugged the left-field line. They added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth. Nelson issued a free pass to Adolis Garcia to open the inning. Leody Taveras followed with a single to right that was deflected by second baseman Ketel Marte, allowing Garcia to advance to third. Moments later, Garcia crossed the plate on a 4–6–3 double play grounded into by Nathaniel Lowe. It wasn’t what the Rangers had in mind, but it got the run across.

Crazy Eights

The big moment in this game came in the bottom of the fifth. Heim struck out on a foul tip to lead off the inning, followed by a single to left by Ezequiel Duran. On deck was Travis Jankowski, who struck out looking. That brought up Seager, bringing the crowd of 34,023 to their feet. He didn’t disappoint them as he sent a wall scraper out to the seats in right, making it 4–0 Rangers.This one was special as it marked the seventh game out of the past eight in which Seager has hit a long ball.

He is the fifth player in Major League Baseball history with eight-plus home runs over an eight-game span while playing all eight games at shortstop. The others are Trea Turner in 2023, Gleyber Torres in 2019, Troy Tulowitzki in 2010 (3x), and Leo Cardenas in 1966. The homer also produced the 600th run that Seager has scored in his career. Nelson also intentionally walked Seager in the third, giving him sole possession of the major league lead with seven.

Scoreless No More

The Rangers have now hit a home run in 13 straight games. That is the longest streak in the majors this year and the team’s longest streak since a 13-game stretch in 2018. The Rangers added two more in the bottom of the eighth. The first came against reliever Logan Allen. Josh Smith singled to center and moved to second on a walk to Garcia. On deck was Taveras, who also trotted to first with a walk. Moments later, Lowe plated Smith with a sacrifice fly to left. That sent Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo to the mound the bring in Justin Martinez. Up next was Langford, who hit a single to left, plating Garcia.

The Diamondbacks broke into the run column in the top of the ninth off reliever Jacob Latz. Gabriel Moreno, who was pinch-hitting for Tucker Barnhart, hit an infield single to second. He advanced to third on a single to right by Kevin Newman. It would have stayed in the infield had it not been deflected by Rangers second baseman Ezequiel Duran. Moreno scored on a third consecutive single. This one was hit to left by Corbin Carroll.

What Went Right for the Rangers

For the second game in a row, the Rangers had a healthy mix of offense and defense. Once again, Seager showed why he is considered one of the leaders of this ball club. The decibel levels were impressive inside Globe Life Field when he hit his home run. It will be very interesting to see if he can make it nine straight games with a dinger come Friday.

What Went Wrong for the Rangers

The lone blemish on the Rangers gave up came late in the game, and that was the RBI single by Carroll. Up until that point, it looked as if they would keep the Diamondbacks off the scoreboard altogether.

Dunning Goes Five

Rangers starter Dane Dunning earned his team-leading fourth win, tossing five scoreless frames in his ninth start of the season. His record improves to 4–3 with an ERA of 3.94. Dunning’s line on the afternoon was 3 H, 4 BB, 6 K, 92 pitches/54 strikes. He used 65 pitches to get through the first three innings, as he maneuvered out of jams in the first and third innings to escape unscathed. Wednesday was Dunning’s first scoreless start this season and fifth start of six or more strikeouts in ‘24, tying Jon Gray and Nathan Eovaldi (six starts apiece) for the most among Rangers hurlers.

Dunning has fanned 53 batters in 45 2/3 frames this season, good for a 10.45 K/9 which would signify the highest single-season figure of his career. He improved to 2–0 with a 1.17 ERA with 8 BB/21 K in three day-game starts in ’24. Including the postseason, Dunning is 2–0 with a 1.32 ERA in five career games, two of them being starts.

Nelson’s Afternoon

For the Diamondbacks, Ryne Nelson suffered the loss after allowing four runs, all earned, across a season high-tying six innings in his eighth start of the 2024 campaign. His final line was 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R-ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 95 pitches/61 strikes). Nelson has gone 2–2 with a 6.93 ERA across five games and four starts this month to raise his season ERA from 4.60 to 6.02. He retired each of the first six batters he faced before surrendering runs in the third, fourth, and fifth frames. Wednesday’s outing was the first of his career in which he suffered a loss despite tossing six-plus innings.

Postgame Comments

After the game, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy was asked what he thought of Seager’s streak. “He’s right up there,” Bochy said of Seager. “You know it’s going to happen. It’s not like we’re surprised when it does happen. What has to happen is what I talked about yesterday, the guy behind [Smith] got a big hit yesterday. It’s going to happen in the future. We know that, so it’s gonna take everybody doing something to help win the ballgame. Because he’s that good, and you understand it. I don’t know what else to say about him. I mean, he was carrying us through that tough stretch and this was another big day for him.”

“We’ve seen it so many times, he’s just a great hitter,” Bochy said. “When he gets right, he’s a tough out. I mean, this guy is as good as anybody in the game. He got off to a slow start, but you have to look at why. He missed spring training after surgery, and it takes time. There was never any thought that he wouldn’t get back on track. These guys are so fun to watch when they get in the zone.”