Rangers Halt Mets' Grimace Streak

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

June 19, 2024

Rangers 5, Mets 3

ARLINGTON, Tex. (June 19) — The Texas Rangers got a much-needed win on Wednesday, beating the New York Mets, 5–3, in front of a crowd of 36,095. This puts an end to the Mets’ “Grimace Streak.” Up until Wednesday, they were on a seven-game winning streak that began when McDonald’s mascot Grimace threw out the Ceremonial First Pitch prior to their game on June 12 against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field. The Rangers were aided by a late two-run homer by Leody Taveras that helped them avoid another sweep in front of their home faithful. At nine games back in the AL West, they still have a lot of work to do. They did, however, gain a game on the division leading Seattle Mariners, who were blanked on Wednesday by the Cleveland Guardians, 8–0.

After an off-day on Thursday, the Rangers begin a crucial three-game series against the Kansas City Royals. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm Central at Globe Life Field. Starting pitchers for both teams have yet to be announced for that game. As for the Mets, they head to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field to begin a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs. That series will get underway on Friday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 1:20 pm Central. The Mets will send lefty Jose Quintana (2–5, 4.98 ERA) to the mound, and the Cubs will counter with left-hander Shota Imanaga (7–1, 1.89 ERA).

Power from the Cleanup Spot

The Rangers got their first lead of the series in the bottom of the first. Robbie Grossman drew a walk and stole second off Mets starter Sean Manaea. This came after Marcus Semien and Corey Seager flied out and struck out swinging, respectively. Manaea allowed back-to-back walks to Adolis Garcia and Josh Smith, allowing Grossman to trot to third. Manaea’s next pitch hit Wyatt Langford and forced in Grossman, giving the Rangers a 1–0 lead.

The Mets tied it in the top of the fourth against Rangers lefty Andrew Heaney. A leadoff double to left by Brandon Nimmo set the table. On deck was J.D. Martinez, who jogged to first with a walk. Two batters later, Nimmo scored on a sharp double to left by Starling Marte.

Coming From Behind

The Metropolitans took a 3–1 lead in the top of the sixth. The lead came on a two-run blast to center by Pete Alonso. Martinez drew another walk off Heaney in the previous at-bat to represent the lead runner.

The Rangers made things interesting in the bottom of the sixth. Grossman reached for a second time with a single to left. Two batters later, he scored his second run of the evening thanks to a double to right by Smith.

This brought Mets manager Carlos Mendoza out of the dugout to bring in righty Sean Reid-Foley to relieve Manaea. Moments later, Langford plated Smith with a single to left to tie the game at three runs apiece. The Rangers took a 5–3 lead in the bottom of the seventh with Drew Smith on the mound. Two batters into the inning, Smith issued a free pass to Seager, bringing up Taveras, who entered the game in the top of the seventh as a defensive replacement for Grossman. They did some maneuvering in the outfield when he came in. Taveras moved to center field and Langford slid over to left. At the plate in the bottom of the inning, Taveras deposited his fifth homer of the year into the seats in right-center beyond the Rangers’ bullpen.

What Went Right for the Rangers

The Rangers are just as frustrated as their fans over this dry spell that they’re in. They used that frustration to win on Wednesday. One of the main factors was they didn’t stop playing when they were down 3–1. They had some key hits and pitching to stay in it. Taveras’ fifth homer of the season was an added bonus that the Rangers were able to use to break the 3–3 tie.

What Went Wrong for the Rangers

For the third night in a row, the Rangers had their hands full with Brandon Nimmo. The Rangers were fortunate that he didn’t get farther than second base on Wednesday. He homered in the previous two contests. Pete Alonso posed a threat as well with his home run in the sixth inning.

Heaney Tosses Six

Rangers lefty Andrew Heaney took a no-decision despite notching his fourth quality start of the season and the second in his last four starts. After allowing a leadoff single to Francisco Lindor in the first, Heaney settled in to retire nine straight over three scoreless frames to open Wednesday’s contest. He ran into trouble but departed after six innings with the score tied at 3–3. Reliever Jose Urena earned his third victory of the year after coming on in the seventh. He pitched two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out two. His record improves to 3–5 on the season with an ERA of 4.21. Closer Kirby Yates pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout, earning his 11th save of the year.

Manaea Looks Forward to Mañana

Mets starter Sean Manaea did not factor into the decision after holding the Rangers hitless over the first five innings. His line on the evening was 5 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R-ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 95 pitches/61 strikes. He surrendered the Rangers’ first run with two outs in the bottom of the first inning after walking three straight batters and hitting Langford with a pitch, but held the Rangers 0-for-15 with three walks and five strikeouts until Grossman’s one-out single in the sixth. Manaea has allowed three or fewer runs in 11 of his 14 starts this season, tied for the most such outings among Mets rotation members in 2024 (Jose Quintana).

After giving up two runs, both earned, on one hit, a walk and a strikeout, Drew Smith was saddled with his first loss of the campaign. He now owns a record of 1–1 with an ERA of 3.38.

Postgame

For the first time in days, reporters were relieved to see signs of content in Rangers manager Bruce Bochy. He elaborated on his decision to use Taveras in the late innings. “Leo was fine, he was ready,” said Bochy. “I told him to get ready late the ballgame and he was set to go. We had some big hits there, Josh (Smith), Grossman got us going and (Wyatt) Langford had some. For Leo to come in a game like that and hit a home run, it’s just good to see him do something really good. I know he’s been fighting a little bit.”