Pederson, Rangers Edge Orioles in Series Opener

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

August 7, 2026

Rangers 2, Orioles 1

ARLINGTON, Texas (Aug 7) — The Texas Rangers are now on a three-game winning streak thanks to a 2–1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles Friday. Joc Pederson muscled up a two-run blast in the sixth inning to give the Rangers their first lead of the night and, ultimately, the win. They’ll have the opportunity to claim their second consecutive series Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:15 pm Central at Globe Life Field. It will be a duel of righties between Kyle Bradish (7–10, 3.79 ERA) and Jacob deGrom (7–7, 3.96 ERA).

Rangers–Orioles Game Summary

The Orioles got on the board in the top of the second against right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. With two away, former Ranger Leody Taveras lined a double to right. On deck was Coby Mayo, who brought Taveras home with a single up the middle.

The Rangers leapfrogged the Orioles in the bottom of the sixth off righty Shane Baz. Elias Diaz led off by beating out a soft single that rolled almost to a complete stop in front of second baseman Jackson Holliday. Diaz hustled to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nicky Lopez that went back to Baz. That brought up Pederson. He went deep to right on the first pitch he saw for his 21st homer of the season.

What Went Right for the Rangers

The Rangers kept the game within reach thanks to a nice performance by Eovaldi. If it weren’t for a high pitch count in the sixth, he could have gone a little deeper. Their opportunity to take the lead came in the bottom of the sixth when Pederson hit his long ball.

What Went Wrong for the Rangers

The only hurdle the Rangers faced came in the first when the Orioles spread some Mayo on the base paths. Coby Mayo’s RBI single accounted for their only run of the night.

Bloated Pitch Count for Eovaldi

Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi made his 22nd start of the season. He did not factor into the decision despite tossing 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball. His final line was 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 86 pitches/56 strikes. The lone damage against him came in the second, when he allowed a pair of two-out hits, including the RBI single to Mayo. Eovaldi yielded two additional two-out knocks in the fifth but struck out Pete Alonso looking to strand the bases loaded without any damage. The four two-out hits marked his second-most in a game this season. That trails only the five he yielded on April 1 at the Orioles. Entering Friday, Eovaldi had allowed the second-most two-out hits in the AL with 43 behind Will Warren of the New York Yankees, who has given up 45.

Tyler Alexander nailed down his third win of 2026, improving to a record of 3–2 with a 3.20 ERA. He came in to relieve Eovaldi in the sixth, pitching only the last two-thirds of that stanza. He allowed one hit and struck out one.

Reliever Jacob Latz earned his 22nd save of the season on Friday. He covered the final two innings, giving up two hits and a walk, while striking out three.

Baz’ Evening

Orioles starter Shane Baz pitched a complete game, the first of his career, but took the loss, bringing his record to 4–11 with an ERA of 3.76. His line was 8 IP with 3 H, 2 R-ER, 1 BB, and 9 K. Friday marked the second complete-game loss by an Orioles pitcher since 2014. The last to do it was Trevor Rogers on August 1, 2025 at the Chicago Cubs. Baz started off strong, retiring 15 of his first 16 batters faced and came within one strike of throwing an immaculate inning in the fifth. He was hurt in the sixth by the Díaz infield single and the Pederson go-ahead two-run missile two batters later.

Schumaker’s Postgame Comments

After the game, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker discussed the importance of Pederson’s presence and energy to this team. “Joc has been incredible,” he said. “We were scuffling offensively. We got nothing going. I don’t even know how many hard hits we had put in play. He (Shane Baz) was doing whatever he wanted and throwing whatever pitch he wanted. Any count, any zone and he was lights out. I think Joc hit a cutter up and in or a slider up and in, whatever it was. It starts off with (Elias) Diaz, kind of lucking into that hit.”