Rangers Fall to Padres in Middle Game

(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

July 3, 2024

Padres 6, Rangers 4

ARLINGTON, Tex. (Jul 3) — The Texas Rangers saw their two-game winning streak halted on Wednesday, as they lost to the San Diego Padres, 6–4. Home runs by Manny Machado and David Peralta helped the Friars even the series at one game apiece. The Rangers will try to get the series victory with a quick turnaround on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 pm Central in the Fourth of July matinee at Globe Life Field. It will be a duel of righties as Michael King (6–5, 3.61 ERA) will toe the slab for the Padres, while Max Scherzer (1–1, 1.74 ERA) will get the ball for the Rangers.

Machado Goes Deep

Things stayed quiet until the Padres got on the board in the top of the third off Rangers starter Jon Gray. A single to center by Jake Cronenworth brought Machado to the dish with two outs. Machado sent a first-pitch slider into the Padres’ bullpen in left-center, giving his team a 2–0 lead.

The Rangers knotted it up in the bottom of the third off Padres starter Adam Mazur. It happened quickly, as a double to right by Jonah Heim and a single to center by Travis Jankowski brought up Leody Taveras. Heim scored from third on a sacrifice fly to center by Taveras. Marcus Semien reached on a 6–4 force play that got Jankowski out at second. On deck was Corey Seager, who plated Semien with a double to right to tie it, 2–2. The Rangers promptly took a 3–2 lead when Josh Smith drove in Seager with a double to right.

The Rangers notched an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly to center by Heim that allowed AL Rookie of the Month Wyatt Langford to score. He reached on a single two batters prior to Heim’s plate appearance.

Padres Fight Back

The Padres chipped away at the lead in the top of the fifth against Rangers reliever Jose Leclerc. He inherited former Ranger Jurickson Profar and Cronenworth as baserunners. The former reached on a single to center and Cronenworth advanced him to second with a walk from Gray. After Leclerc got Machado to pop out to Heim behind the plate and Donovan Solano to fly to center, Profar stole third. On deck was Jackson Merrill, who scored Profar with an infield single that was out of the reach of Smith at third.

The Padres tied it 4–4 in the top of the sixth. Leclerc started the frame by hitting Ha-Seong Kim with a pitch before striking out Kyle Higashioka. Moments later, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy emerged from the dugout to bring in Jacob Latz to relieve Leclerc. The first batter that Latz faced was Luis Arraez, who quickly plated Kim with a single to left.

The Padres made it 6–4 in the top of the seventh off right-hander Dane Dunning. The first batter he faced was Solano, who hustled to first on a single to center before Merrill was called out on strikes. That brought up Peralta, who belted a two-run shot to center, his first of the year.

What Went Right for the Padres

For a while, it looked as though the Padres might lose the series on Wednesday. They were able to make things even, however. The home runs by Machado and Peralta helped propel them to the victory. They also saw a strong performance by their bullpen as they turned in five scoreless frames to nail the door shut against the defending World Champions. The Rangers left six men on base and went 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

What Went Wrong for the Padres

Even though the Padres’ bullpen showed up, the Rangers were able to put together several scoring chances before then. The RBI doubles by Seager and Smith hurt a little, as did the sacrifice fly by Taveras.

Odd Day for Gray

Rangers starter Jon Gray made his 15th start of the season and did not factor into the decision of Wednesday’s affair. His line on the evening was 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R-ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 77 pitches/51 strikes. The right-hander posted a pair of scoreless innings to open the night before Machado tagged him for the two-run homer in the third. Gray departed with no outs in the fifth after allowing consecutive baserunners to reach to begin the frame.

One of those bequeathed runners scored off Leclerc when Merrill dribbled an infield single down the third base line. Gray fanned Arraez twice, becoming the third pitcher in the majors this season to strike out Arraez twice in a game. Carlos Rodon of the New York Yankees did it on April 9 in the Bronx, and Patrick Sandoval of the Los Angeles Angels did it on April 3 when Arraez was a member of the Miami Marlins. No major league pitcher has ever struck out Arraez three times in a game.

After giving up Peralta’s two-run bomb in his 2 1/3 innings, Dunning took the loss for the Rangers. His record is now 4–7 with an ERA of 4.71.

Tough Luck for Mazur

Padres starter Adam Mazur took a no-decision despite allowing four runs, all earned, over four innings. His final line was 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R-ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 74 pitches/46 strikes. Mazur retired the first six batters he faced before the three-run third inning in which he surrendered a trio of doubles. He has gone 1–2 with a 9.30 ERA over his last five starts after producing a quality start in his major league debut on June 4 against the Angels (ND, 6 IP, 1 R-ER).

Reliever Adrian Morejon earned the win for the Padres after coming in with one out in the sixth. He tossed an inning and two thirds in which he didn’t allow a baserunner and struck out one. His record now sits at 2–1 with an ERA of 2.45.

Postgame Comments

An understandably worn out Bochy took his usual seat in the interview room after the game. He expressed that it was a tough loss and they’re trying their best to figure out the kinks in their offense. He also elaborated on the status of Corey Seager, who had an RBI double on Wednesday. “Our training staff, they worked on him, and he was telling them he thought he could go, but he wanted to take some swings,” Bochy said. “He did that. I got the word that he could play. It was great to have him out there.”