Rangers Get Rowdy against Tigers

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

July 19, 2025

Rangers 4, Tigers 1

ARLINGTON, Texas (Jul 19) — The Texas Rangers handed the AL Juggernaut Detroit Tigers their sixth consecutive loss Saturday, 4–1. Going into Saturday, the Rangers had been at or below .500 for 59 straight games. Now they’re one game over, at 50–49. A three-run blast by Rangers newcomer Rowdy Tellez made all the difference in this one as the bats are starting to awaken.

For the first time since late May, the Rangers will have an opportunity to complete a three-game sweep at home on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 pm Central at Globe Life Field. Left-hander Tarik Skubal (10–3, 2.23 ERA) will take the hill for the Tigers, while left-hander Jacob Latz (1–0, 3.00 ERA) will get the ball for the Rangers. Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi was scheduled to start, but according to Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, he will be scratched due to tightness in his back.

Get Rowdy

The Rangers broke the seal in the bottom of the second with Keider Montero pitching for the Tigers. Adolis Garcia opened the frame with a sharp single to right. He promptly swiped second for his 10th stolen base of the year. Evan Carter followed with a walk. Garcia moved up a base when Wyatt Langford grounded into a 6–4 force play.

Up next was Tellez with runners on the corners. He launched a three-run homer to the seats in right-center, his 12th of the season.

The Rangers added one more in the bottom of the fifth. Kyle Higashioka led off with a single to left. He trotted to second when Montero issued a free pass to Alejandro Osuna. Josh Smith reached, and Osuna advanced to second, on a somewhat unusual 5–1 force play. He smacked a liner toward third baseman Colt Keith. Keith could not catch it, but he knocked it down. The baseball rolled toward the third-base dugout. Keith scooped it up and flipped it to Montero at third just in time to retire the sliding Higashioka.

On deck was Corey Seager, who plated Osuna with a single to right. That RBI single extended Seager’s current on-base streak to 20 consecutive games. It is the longest such streak by a Ranger this season.

The Tigers managed to tally one run in the top of the ninth off Rangers reliever Jacob Webb. It came thanks to a leadoff homer to right-center by Riley Greene.

What Went Right for the Rangers

Good hitting and good pitching don’t always occur on the same night. In a lot of instances, you’re lucky to have one or the other. The Rangers had both on Saturday evening. Starter Kumar Rocker pitched 5 1/3 very good innings to go along with Tellez’ homer in the second. Seager’s RBI single in the fifth was merely icing on the cake.

What Went Wrong for the Rangers

The Tigers denied the Rangers their second straight shutout coming out of the All-Star Break when Greene hit his dinger in the ninth. A win is a win, but the crowd of 37,045 would have liked another zero in the runs allowed column.

Almost Un-hittable

Rocker took a no-hitter into the sixth and completed 6 1/3 scoreless frames, the longest such outing of his career. His line on the evening was 1 H, 3 BB, 5 K, 96 pitches/65 strikes. He allowed only three walks through 5 2/3 innings until yielding a single to Wenceel Pérez in the top of the sixth.

Rocker logged his second career scoreless appearance. He also became the second Ranger in 2025 to pitch 6 1/3-plus innings while allowing one hit. With his win Saturday, Rocker is now 3–0 with a 1.84 ERA in five starts at Globe Life Field this year, with the Rangers winning all five games. His overall record improves to 4–4 with an ERA of 5.66.

Montero’s Evening

Tigers starter Keider Montero took his second loss after allowing four runs over his 4 1/3 frames Saturday. His line was 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 82 pitches/47 strikes. Montero’s record now sits at 4–2 with an ERA of 4.28. Entering Saturday, Tellez was the only batter on the Rangers’ active roster that Montero had faced previously (0-for-2 entering play). Montero retired eight of the next nine batters he faced after the Tellez blast but allowed three of the first four batters he faced in the fifth to reach before giving way to Brenan Hanifee and the Tigers’ bullpen.

Bochy’s Postgame Comments

In his postgame press conference, Bochy beamed after the rock show he saw earlier in the evening. “Rock, I mean, it was a really, really good job,” he said. “You know what was impressive? In the fourth inning, he walked a couple of guys with nobody out. He pitched out of that. Those are games that have sometimes gotten away from him, but he kept his poise and did a nice job of pitching out of a tough jam there. Terrific job.”

“He’s done a lot to get where he needs to be,” Bochy said. “I’ll be honest, I’m amazed at the difference in just one start from when Kumar went down and when he came back up. … I think he just grew as a pitcher. And with how fast it all happened, it’s impressive.”