Jake Burger was on a heater Sunday afternoon as the Texas Rangers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 8-6.
The Texas Rangers concluded their four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday with an 8-6 win at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
With the victory, the Rangers split the series against Tampa Bay, which has the best record in the American League. Here is how they got it done on Sunday:
Overcoming a bad inning
Early on, the Rangers found themselves in some trouble.
MacKenzie Gore got the starting nod for Texas, and in the top of the second inning, the Rays got after him. Gore began the frame by allowing consecutive singles to Chandler Simpson and Jonny DeLuca.
Gore aided in a force-out that got DeLuca out at second base, but runners still ended up on the corners. Then, Victor Mesa Jr. hit an RBI single to give Tampa Bay a 1–0 lead.
A sacrifice bunt by Nick Fortes put the Rays ahead 2-0, and Gore subsequently gave up an RBI single to Yandy Diaz before Jonathan Aranda produced a sacrifice fly RBI to put the Rangers in a 4-0 hole. Small-ball tactics were working for the visitors, and though Gore got out of the inning, plenty of damage had already been done.
Texas made up a bit of ground when Jake Burger hit a solo home run to left-center field, but it did not matter as the Rays tacked on another run in the fourth to make it a 5-1 game. Gore’s outing was short-lived, and he finished with a final line of six hits, five earned runs, three walks and one strikeout over three innings.
Returning fire
Even though they were down big, the Rangers had an answer of their own, and it was largely thanks to Burger once again.
After Wyatt Langford drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourth, Burger crushed his second home run of the afternoon and his 25th of the season. This time, it was to center field, and Texas’ deficit was cut to 5-3.
That was enough to spark momentum, as singles from Logan O’Hoppe and Ezequiel Duran paid off when Justin Foscue hit a two-RBI double that tied the game. From that point forward, most of the points remained on the side of the Rangers.
Pushing ahead
In the bottom of the fifth, Texas added to its lead thanks to RBI singles by Elias Diaz and Duran.
By that point, the Rangers had scored six unanswered runs after trailing 5-1. The Rays scored again in the seventh, but Texas put insurance on the board in the bottom of the eighth when Corey Seager hit his 15th home run of the year.
The Rangers still sit two games below .500, but splitting a series with the American League’s top team feels like the best-case scenario. Now, they can turn their attention to a three-game set on the road against the Seattle Mariners, which begins on Tuesday.
