ARLINGTON, Texas (Sept 10) \u2014 The Texas Rangers<\/a> treated the Milwaukee Brewers<\/a> to a three-game sweep, beating them 6\u20133, Wednesday afternoon. Their hero in this one was Jake Burger<\/a><\/strong>, who smashed a pair of home runs to keep his team on a hot streak as they wrap up a 5\u20131 homestand, their next to last of the regular season. They began the day 2 1\/2 games out of first in the AL West behind the division-leading Houston Astros<\/a>. They could gain another half game depending on the outcome of the Astros’ 7:05 pm Eastern tilt with the Toronto Blue Jays<\/a> on Wednesday at Rogers Centre in Toronto.<\/p>\n After an off-day Thursday, the Rangers begin a three-game series against the New York Mets<\/a> as part of a six-game road trip. First pitch of the series opener is scheduled for Friday at 7:10 pm Eastern at Citi Field. Righty Jacob deGrom<\/a><\/strong> (11\u20137, 2.78 ERA), facing his former team, will make his 28th start for the Rangers, while right-hander Jonah Tong<\/a><\/strong> (1\u20131, 4.09 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Mets.<\/p>\n The Brewers, meanwhile, will begin their next-to-last homestand Friday with three against the St. Louis Cardinals<\/a>. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm Central at American Family Field. It will be a duel of righties as Andre Pallante<\/a><\/strong> (6\u201313, 5.28 ERA) will take the hill for the Cardinals, and Quinn Priester<\/a><\/strong> (12\u20132, 3.25 ERA) will get the ball for the Brewers.<\/p>\n The Brewers got off to a quick start in the top of the first off righty Merrill Kelly<\/a><\/strong>. Back-to-back home runs by Brice Turang<\/a><\/strong> and Jackson Chourio<\/a><\/strong> had Ranger fans squirming in their seats early.<\/p>\n The Rangers answered back in the bottom of the second. With Freddy Peralta<\/a><\/strong> on the mound for the Brewers, Burger led off with a towering shot to deep center on a 1\u20132 pitch.<\/p>\n They tied things up in the bottom of the third. Michael Helman<\/a><\/strong> singled with one out. Josh Smith<\/a><\/strong> and Wyatt Langford<\/a><\/strong> followed with back-to-back walks to load the bases. On deck was Joc Pederson<\/a><\/strong>, who plated Helman by grounding into a 4\u20136 force play. With Burger at the plate, Smith reached home on a balk by Peralta, giving the Rangers a 3\u20132 lead.<\/p>\n They tallied two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Smith led off with a single to center. Three batters later, Burger drove him in with his second dinger of the afternoon. It was a two-run shot that also went to center.<\/p>\n The Brewers inched closer in the top of the sixth. Caleb Durbin<\/a><\/strong> lined a one-out single to left. He moved to third later in the inning on a single to left by Danny Jansen<\/a><\/strong>. Up next was Rhys Hoskins<\/a><\/strong>, pinch-hitting for Joey Ortiz<\/a><\/strong>. Jansen scored, moments later, on a single to left by Hoskins.<\/p>\n The Rangers scored their final run in the bottom of the eighth off reliever Erick Fedde<\/a>, <\/strong>who opened the inning by walking Burger. After Josh Jung<\/strong><\/a> popped out to first, Kyle Higashioka<\/a><\/strong> reached on a fielder\u2019s choice and Burger moved to second on a fielding error by Durbin at third. Fedde walked Alejandro Osuna<\/a><\/strong> to load the bases before\u00a0Rowdy Tellez<\/a><\/strong>, pinch-hitting for Ezequiel Duran<\/a>,<\/strong> grounded to second, bringing Burger across the plate.<\/p>\n The Brewers both entered and left with the best record in the majors. For three consecutive days, the Rangers denied them of their 90th win of the season with a renewed spirit. Burger’s home runs were huge in the series finale on Wednesday, and there were several others that contributed good at-bats, including Helman with a single.<\/p>\n This is the time of year teams need an all hands on deck approach. That’s what the Rangers have at this point. They’ve gotten a reminder of how great winning can be, and they’re doing what they can to keep it up.<\/p>\n The back-to-back home runs by Turang and Chourio hurt the Rangers. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy<\/strong><\/a> admitted that it was a shock to the system. They scattered a few more hits that eventually led to another run for the Brewers, but they were able to stop the bleeding.<\/p>\n Rangers starter Merrill Kelly battled through 5 2\/3 innings to earn the win, improving his record to 12\u20137 with an ERA of 3.21. His final line was 10 H, 3 R-ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 2 HR, 93 pitches\/67 strikes. He allowed the home runs to Turang and Chourio to open the top of the first, the second time he\u2019s allowed consecutive long balls to begin a start in his career.<\/p>\n Reliever Phil Maton<\/a><\/strong> earned his fourth save of the year after recording the last two outs in the ninth with one strikeout.<\/p>\n Brewers starter Freddy Peralta took his sixth loss of the season, making his record 16\u20136 with an ERA of 2.69. His line was 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R-ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 113 pitches\/72 strikes. Peralta’s 113 pitches marked a career-high, surpassing his previous mark of 111 on May 28, 2024 against the Chicago Cubs<\/a>. No other Brewers pitcher has thrown more in a game since that date. Peralta had his scoreless streak end at a career-high 30 innings when Burger homered in the second. That streak was the second-longest scoreless run in franchise history to only Teddy Higuera<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s 32 frames in 1987.<\/p>\n After the game, Bochy commented on the energy that his team has shown recently. \u201cI think it’s been fun for [the veterans] to watch,\u201d he said. \u201cWe’re seeing these young guys coming up and having fun, playing loose, playing with joy. When you look at them, they’re all smiling, having a good time. I think the enthusiasm from the young guys is contagious to the veterans. They’re having a blast, too.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\nBurger Homers Twice<\/h4>\n
More Insurance<\/h4>\n
What Went Right for the Rangers<\/h4>\n
What Went Wrong for the Rangers<\/h4>\n
Relentless Outing for Kelly<\/h4>\n
Peralta’s Effort<\/h4>\n
Bochy’s Postgame Comments<\/h4>\n
Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>