Pitcher Dane Dunning was dealing on Wednesday night in Arlington, and the Rangers bats came to life as Texas tamed Los Angeles by a 7-2 clip, ending a three-game slide for the boys in red, white, and blue.
“Dane did a good job,” Rangers Manager Tony Beasley said after the win. “He gave us five quality innings. He left with the lead and a chance to get the win.”
Dunning got the starting nod for Texas, completed five innings of steady work, and left the game with a 3-2 lead looking for his fourth win. A two-out, two-run homer from Angels’ Taylor Ward in the first inning was one of just three hits allowed by Dunning, and he walked just one while notching eight strikeouts.
After giving up the homer in the first, Dunning settled in, and the Rangers placed single runs in the first, second, and third inning to eventually give the 27-year-old righty the lead, 3-2.
Corey Seager, Nathaniel Lowe, Leody Tavares, and Adolis Garcia each had two hits in the game, and Garcia and Josh H. Smith had two RBI in the win.
Smith hit the second home run in the seventh inning to extend Texas’ lead to 4-2 with his second RBI in the game. It was the first time in Smith’s young career that a home run left the ballpark as his first ever round-tripper against Oakland in mid-July was an inside-the-park job.
Brock Burke relieved Dunning and, for the fourth time in six September appearances, nailed down two scoreless innings out of the Texas bullpen. Burke earned his ninth hold of the season.
Taveras would put some icing on the cake for Texas in the bottom of the eighth inning when his base-loaded one-hit single cleared the sacks of Rangers for a 7-2 lead.
Matt Moore and Jose Leclerc each pitched scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth innings to hold on to the win, neither allowing a run, and both fanned two in their outings. The Rangers’ pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts on the night.
Texas will begin a three-game series against the Angels on Thursday at Globe Life Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. CDT.
Martin Perez (12-6, 2.84) is due to start for Texas. The Rangers ace is 3-3 in his last seven starts, sporting an ERA of 3.07.
The Angels are expected to send Michael Lorenzen (7-6, 4.74) to the mound.