The Texas Rangers struck first on Sunday, but the Detroit Tigers delivered a devastating blow in return.
The Texas Rangers suffered a 6-3 loss in their series-concluding game against the Detroit Tigers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on Sunday.
The loss means that the Rangers dropped the first of their three series at home ahead of the All-Star break. Additionally, it was their third loss in the last four games and pushes them back to a .500 record (45-45) on the season. What led to it?
Striking First
After neither team could get on the board in the first or second inning, the Rangers finally broke through.
In the bottom of the third inning, Jake Burger hit a solo home run to left-center field, marking his 15th of the season and giving Texas a 1-0 lead.
The Rangers had gotten close in the previous frame when Josh Smith hit a two-out triple, but they were unable to convert. Though Burger’s home run created some momentum, it was short-lived.
Ugly Middle Innings
Up to the fourth inning, right-hander Kumar Rocker and the Rangers’ defense was keeping the Tigers in check. Then, following a Kerry Carpenter single, Riley Greene did damage at the plate.
With a 2-1 count, Greene took a four-seam fastball deep to right field for a two-run home run. What was once a one-run lead for Texas became a one-run deficit, and Detroit continued to pile on in the fifth inning.
After Rocker and the defense got off the field in the fourth, the Rangers’ offense was unable to do anything in the bottom frame. In the top of the fifth inning, Rocker struck out Jake Rogers before allowing a single, which ended his afternoon.
Rocker’s final line included four strikeouts, five hits, three earned runs and a walk over 4.1 innings of work. He was replaced by Robby Ahlstrom, and that is when the Tigers struck again.
Upon taking the mound, Ahlstrom gave up consecutive singles, which scored another run for the Tigers. Subsequently, a wild pitch scored another run before Greene came back to the plate and made Ahlstrom pay with a two-RBI triple.
After Ahlstrom walked Spencer Torkelson, manager Skip Schumaker was forced to go to his bullpen again. With Gavin Collyer on the mound, Texas finally ended the four-run frame.
An Attempted Rally
After allowing six unanswered runs, the Rangers found themselves in a hole. However, momentum began to play in their favor yet again.
It just wasn’t enough.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Brandon Nimmo responded to Detroit’s offensive onslaught with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 6-2. The Rangers went scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings, but Ezequiel Duran hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth to make it a 6-3 game.
Duran’s home run ended up being the last of the Rangers’ offensive production, though, and the Tigers left Texas with the win. Now, the Los Angeles Angels, who have lost five games in a row heading into their series-finale with the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, will visit the Rangers beginning on Tuesday.
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