The Rangers dropped their fifth game in a row Sunday, losing 8-3 to the Angels in Anaheim. Texas will wrap up its 2022 season this week in Arlington with a four-game series against the Yankees and AL Home Run King Aaron Judge.
Judge has been on an MVP tear this season in which he has already tied Roger Maris’ 61 homers in a season and is still in contention to be a triple-crown winner with the four games — including a doubleheader on Tuesday — left against the Rangers.
The Yankees (97-61) have secured the No.2 spot in the AL playoffs and will face the Tampa Bay vs. Cleveland wildcard matchup winner.
Texas (66-92) wasn’t very competitive while getting swept by the Angels over the weekend; the team tallied just six runs against Los Angeles in three games, including an 8-3 spanking on Sunday, and limps home for their final series and homestand of the year.
Rangers rookie righty Tyson Miller made his second start of the season and the third of his career in the game and lasted four innings. He allowed seven earned runs — six in the first — and got hung with the loss, dropping him to 1-2 on the year. Miller allowed nine hits over those four frames – one a solo-homer to likely MLB Hall of Fame member Mike Trout — and walked another three while handing out five go-sit-downs via strikes.
Trout eclipsed Reggie Jackson for most career homers against the Rangers since 1972. He went 3-for-4 in the Angels’ stadium 2022 finale. Trout is one home run away from 40 for the third time in his career.
“I just tried to finish the season strong when I came back,” Trout told MLB.com of his sizzling second half of the season. “I have three games left, and it’s been going in the right direction.”
Texas was out-hit 14-to-4 in the loss. Aside from Corey Seager’s two-run homer in the fifth — his team-high 33rd of the season — and Adolis Garcia’s fifth-inning RBI double — his team-high 98th run batted in — the Rangers did not muster up much else on offense.
Angels pitcher and Amarillo native Tucker Davidson earned the win in the game, allowing all three Ranger runs on three hits with five walks and three strikeouts.
The Angels bullpen did the rest as they shut Texas out over the next four innings, allowing one hit and two walks while punching out five.
Rangers ace Martin Perez, one of the brighter stars to emerge from the team’s rather bleak season, will get his final start of the year in Arlington on Monday night. Perez (12-7, 2.93) has eclipsed 30 starts for the fifth time in his 10th full year in the majors. Perez leads the team in nearly all pitcher stats for Texas, including wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts.
The Yankees have already clinched the playoffs and are playing now to pad stats and rest stars. Luis Severino will take the hill, with the game’s first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CDT.
