Rangers 7, Angels 2
ARLINGTON, Texas, Sep 21 — Fans watched on Wednesday as the Texas Rangers made their series against the Los Angeles Angels even with a 7–2 win at Globe Life Field. The Rangers had several key hits in this one, but it was the solo shot by Josh Smith in the seventh inning that really stood out. This was a nice victory for the Rangers, as they move to 1–1 on the next-to-last home stand of the season. Fans are hoping they can take the series finale on Thursday. That contest starts at 1:05 PM Central. Right-hander Michael Lorenzen (7–6, 4.74 ERA) will start the finale for the Angels. Meanwhile, lefty Martin Perez (12–6, 2.84 ERA) will get the ball for the Rangers.
Smith Delivers to Even Series
Rangers left-fielder Josh Smith had a big moment on Wednesday as the Rangers made this series even. That moment would come later in the game, however. The Angels scored first on a two-run home run by right-fielder Taylor Ward. Shohei Ohtani was the man on base at the time. That would be all the offense that the Angels would produce on Wednesday. The Rangers didn’t stay silent for long, as they responded in the bottom of the first inning. A sacrifice fly by Adolis Garcia drove in Corey Seager from third base. Three batters later, Josh Smith advanced to second base on a fielder’s choice, and an error by shortstop Livan Soto. That drove in Leody Taveras.
The Rangers scored again in the bottom of the seventh inning. First baseman Nathaniel Lowe sprinted home on a double by the aforementioned Adolis Garcia. Moments later, Josh Smith had his big hit. He gave the Rangers a 4–2 lead over the Angels with a solo home run to right field. This marked the second home run of the year for Smith. Hist first came on July 11 against the Oakland Athletics, and it was of the inside-the-park variety. The Rangers made it 7–2 in the bottom of the eighth inning. With the bases loaded, Leody Taveras singled to left field, and drove home Seager, Lowe, and Garcia. A throwing error by Angels pitcher Zack Weiss helped the Rangers’ cause on that play as well.
Pitching Notes
Right-hander Dane Dunning got the start for the Rangers on Wednesday. He earned the win after he exited with a 3–2 lead following five innings over which he allowed two runs (both earned) on three hits and a walk, all while recording season high-tying eight strikeouts (2x, last May 24 at LAA). Dunning threw 45 of 72 (62.5%) pitches for strikes. His record for 2022 now sits at 4–8, with an ERA of 4.46. Lefty Tucker Davidson took the loss for the Angels after allowing three earned runs on five hits. He also struck out three, and allowed no walks. His record for 2022 is now 2–7, with an ERA of 6.80 ERA. There was no save recorded on Wednesday.
Dunning threw the second-fewest pitches thrown by a Ranger in an outing with eight-or-more strikeouts since pitches were first officially tracked in 1988 (66 pitches/8 SO by Hyeon-jong Yang on 5/5/21 against the Minnesota Twins). Both runs allowed came on the two-run home run by Taylor Ward in the first inning. Dunning retired 11 of next 13 batters faced with 7 K’s following the blast. He has gone 4–2 with a 3.59 ERA (35 ER/87 2/3 IP) over 16 starts in Arlington this season, with Wednesday’s victory making him the new all-time wins leader at Globe Life Field (9-Dane Dunning, 8-Jordan Lyles).
Main Photo:
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Players Mentioned:
Josh Smith, Michael Lorenzen, Martin Perez, Taylor Ward, Shohei Ohtani, Adolis Garcia, Corey Seager, Livan Soto, Nathaniel Lowe, Leody Taveras, Zack Weiss, Dane Dunning, Tucker Davidson, Hyeon-jong Yang, Jordan Lyles
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