Rangers Take Series Opener from Rays

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

April 4, 2025

Rangers 5, Rays 2

ARLINGTON, Texas. (Apr 4) — The Texas Rangers were given some help in the form of a solo home run by Josh Smith as they beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 5–2, on a somewhat chilly Friday evening in Arlington. They will try for the series win in the middle contest of this three-game set on Saturday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 pm Central at Globe Life Field. It will be a matchup of righties as Taj Bradley (1–0, 3.00 ERA) will get the ball for the Rays, while Jacob deGrom (0–0, 0.00) will make his second consecutive home start for the Rangers.

Four-Run Third

The Rangers got their scoring started in the bottom of the third against Rays right-hander Zack Littell. Smith led the inning off with a single to left, and a throwing error by Littell on a pickoff attempt advanced him to second. Smith scored moments later on a double to left by Kyle Higashioka.

On deck was Leody Taveras, who plated Higashioka with a single to center. Taveras put pressure on the Rays by stealing second and third, already giving him four stolen bases on the season.

Up next was Marcus Semien, who plated Taveras with a single to to center. Corey Seager nudged Semien over to second with a single to right.

That brought up Wyatt Langford, who scored Semien with a sacrifice fly to center.

Rays End Rangers’ Scoreless Inning Streak

The Rays got on the board in the top of the seventh off Rangers reliever Shawn Armstrong. Christopher Morel led off with single to left to get things started. He advanced to third thanks to a double to right by Kameron Misner. A wild pitch from Armstrong allowed Morel to score. This run put an end to the Rangers’ scoreless innings streak, which stood at 25 consecutive innings where they did not allow a single run.

After Danny Jansen struck out on a foul tip, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy brought in reliever Chris Martin. His first pitch to Taylor Walls was another wild one that plated Misner.

The Rangers, meanwhile, extended their lead to 5–2 in the bottom of the seventh. After Jake Burger grounded to short, Smith blasted a solo shot to right-center. It was his first of the year.

What Went Right for the Rangers

The Rangers kept finding ways to score on Friday night in front of a crowd of 24,483. The extra insurance they got from Smith’s homer in the seventh turned out to be valuable as their bullpen began to struggle with the wild pitches. The RBI hits by Higashioka and Taveras really went a long way as this Rangers offense has been sluggish thus far in 2025. This is the first time in three days that they have managed to put more than one run on the scoreboard.

What Went Wrong for the Rangers

As mentioned before, the wild pitches by Armstrong and Martin were a bit of a setback. Fortunately, the Rangers were able to keep the lead intact, but it’s hard to win ballgames like that every night.

Mahle Goes Five

Rangers starter Tyler Mahle earned his first win with the Rangers in his second start of 2025. He posed five scoreless innings while allowing one hit, a single by Yandy Díaz in the third. The five-inning outing was tied for his longest as a Ranger, matching his debut with them on August 6, 2024 against the Houston Astros, in which he also went five frames.

Reliever Luke Jackson struck out two in the ninth to notch his fourth save of the young season.

Littell Hick-up

Rays starter Zack Littell shouldered the loss in his second start of 2025. He allowed five runs, all earned across seven frames. He suffered through the four-run third inning after retiring the first six Rangers batters in order. Thursday marked the first time Littell allowed four-or-more runs in a single inning since July 7, 2024 against the Rangers at Globe Life Field. He surrendered six runs in the fourth inning in that game. After Wyatt Langford’s RBI sacrifice fly in the third, Littell retired seven straight before walking Corey Seager in the sixth…Seager’s walk ended Littell’s 28 2/3 consecutive inning streak without allowing a free pass. That was the longest span of his career.

Bochy’s Postgame Comments

After the game, Bochy took his usual seat in the interview room and discussed Mahle’s performance. “He had a really nice bounce-back after his first outing”, he said. “The first inning got a little long, but he did a terrific job. He had good command over five strong innings, only allowing one hit. It was a good night for him.”

Bochy went on to discuss particular signs that he saw that the offense is starting to show up. “I think you saw it tonight. You had the third inning where we scored four runs”, he said. We had some great at-bats from Smitty (Josh Smith) and Higgy (Kyle Higashioka). We also got some great two-strike hitting from (Leody) Taveras. I think we’re in good shape considering we’re only eight games in. These things take time.”

Mahle’s Postgame Comments

Mahle also reflected on his start after the game. “I felt really good”, he said. “I was just able to settle down in the second inning, and I thought my command was good and I look forward to getting better.”