Rangers 12, Mariners 3
ARLINGTON, Tex. (June 4) — The Texas Rangers sent the Globe Life Field crowd home happy on Sunday afternoon by beating the Seattle Mariners, 12–3. A three-run homer by Jonah Heim, along with numerous extra-base hits from the rest of the lineup, helped nail down the series finale. With this win, the Rangers swept the three-game series against the Mariners. Their record now stands at 38-20, and their lead over the Houston Astros in the AL West is now 3.5 games. The Rangers’ next obstacle is a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. In the opener, veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright (2–1, 6.15 ERA) will toe the slab for the Cardinals. The Rangers will counter with lefty Martin Perez (6–1, 4.43 ERA).
Double Digits Again
For the 16th time this season, the Rangers managed to reach double digits in runs scored. The offensive explosion started right away in the bottom of the first. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager both sprinted home on a single to left by third baseman Josh Jung. Seager chipped in in the bottom of the third with a solo shot to center, making it 3–0 Rangers. Two batters later, Adolis Garcia plated Nathaniel Lowe with a double to center.
The Rangers were only getting started. Later in the inning, Mitch Garver doubled to center, bringing home Garcia to stretch the Rangers’ lead over the Mariners to 5–0. On deck was Robbie Grossman, who proceeded to bring Jung and Garver home by launching a double to center to make it 7–0 Rangers.
In the bottom of the sixth, Seager showed off his bat once again by hitting a double to right that plated Travis Jankowski. Furthermore, Josh Jung was able to drive in Seager with a single to center to make it 9–0 Rangers. They didn’t stop there, however. The game was still in the bottom of the sixth when Jonah Heim belted a three-run line drive shot to right to make it 12–0 Rangers. The Mariners chipped away a little in the top of the seventh, but very little came of their effort. Ty France scored on a double to left by Eugenio Suarez. Jose Caballero drove in Suarez with a single to left. Their final run came on a single by Kolten Wong that allowed Teoscar Hernandez to score. Hernandez had walked earlier in the inning.
Pitching Notes
Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi earned his team-leading eighth win of the season today (6 IP, 1 H, 7 SO, 1 HB, 87 pitches/56 strikes). Over his last seven starts, Eovaldi sports a 6–0 record with an ERA of 0.68 (4 R-ER in 52 2/3 IP) with nine walks and 46 strikeouts. The reigning AL pitcher of the month is currently on a 17-inning scoreless streak dating back to the bottom of the fourth inning on May 23 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Mariners’ three runs on the afternoon were surrendered by reliever Jonathan Hernandez. Hernandez pitched 2/3 of an inning and struck out two. Brock Burke and John King pitched an inning apiece as well, each giving up two hits.
Mariners starter Bryce Miller took the loss on Sunday (2 1/3 IP, 8 H, 7 R-ER). He is now 0–2 with a 19.29 ERA (15 ER, 7 IP) in his last two starts after going 3–1 with an ERA of 1.15 over the first five starts of his major league career to open the month of May. The Rangers’ other five runs were given up by right-hander Trevor Gott. No save was recorded.
Hang Ten
The Rangers erupted for 12 runs on 13 hits on Sunday. This marks the second consecutive game where their offense had produced 10+ runs. The Rangers are now tied with the 1936 New York Yankees for most games of 10+ runs in the first 58 games of a season. They lead the majors with 376 runs scored this season. The Rangers have outscored their opponents 376-224 (+152) this season. It is the sixth-highest run differential through 58 games by any team in baseball’s modern era (beg. 1901). It is the best mark by any club since the 1939 New York Yankees (+169).
Bochy Climbs Higher
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy earned his 2,041st career managerial win Sunday afternoon, surpassing Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston for 10th place on Major League Baseball’s all-time managerial wins leaderboard. The next manager on that list is Hall of Famer Joe McCarthy (9th place, 2,125), and the only active skipper with more lifetime wins than Bochy is Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker (8th place, 2,128).
Postgame Comments
In a very classy gesture, the Rangers held a small celebration in the clubhouse in honor of Bruce Bochy’s 2,041st win. So Sunday’s starter Nathan Eovaldi spoke to reporters first in the interview room. He spoke about his outing by saying, “I was feeling really good out there today. I made some mechanical adjustments mid-game, and I felt really good the last three innings that I pitched.” Eovaldi was then asked about the run support that he received in this outing. He said, “I can’t say enough about our offense. It just makes my job a little easier. It’s nice to have a few runs to play with. It gives you more confidence on the mound.”
More Seattle Mariners Articles
More Texas Rangers Articles
More MLB Articles
After his celebration, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy emerged from the clubhouse. He was asked about taking sole possession of 10th place on the All-Time Managerial Wins list. Bochy sheepishly responded by saying, “Walter Alston is someone that I’ve always admired. When I was a kid, I would skip school to go and watch the Dodgers, probably a little more than I should’ve, but I just loved watching him lead his team and how he did his job. My buddies and I would sit in the seats behind the dugout. We’d get kicked out, but I revered him so much, and I just loved watching him manage. It’s very humbling.”
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
- Categories
-
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
