After dropping the first game of a doubleheader 6-3, the Rangers turned the tables in Cleveland and won the second 6-3 on a day where Texas second baseman Marcus Semien had seven hits and three home runs in 18 innings of play on the day.
A day after being rained out in Cleveland, the Rangers and Guardians returned to the diamond on June 8. In the first game, visiting Texas trailed 5-0 after three innings played and were never able to rebound, falling 6-3.
Texas’ starting pitcher John Gray lasted five innings, allowing five earned runs on six hits while walking four and fanning three. Gray earned the loss in the game, falling to 1-3 on the year.
Offensively, Semien collected three of the Ranger’s eight total hits and one of the three RBI.
“I think doubleheaders can be crazy like that,” he told MLB.com. “You just show up, and the swing feels good, and you’re getting pitches to hit and taking balls. I felt that way in the first game and didn’t change anything between games, and I just kept the same mindset and felt good.”
Although Texas fell behind early in the first game on the day, game two saw the ballclub build an early 5-0 lead and never look back.
Charlie Culberson hit into a fielder’s choice in the top of the second to score Ezequiel Duran, who had singled two batters prior.
Semien led off the third inning with a solo homer, giving the Rangers a 2-0 nod, on his way to three long balls on the day (his first coming in the first game).
Semien was signed via free agency in the offseason and started the 2022 season not living up to expectations, as his batting average hovered around .175. In the last 15 contests, Semien has batted .317, bringing his average to .207 on the year, and collected nine hits, including four round-trip shots.
“He can turn around a speeding bullet,” Ranger’s skipper Chris Woodward said. “There’s not a pitch he can’t hit… With Marcus, there’s complete trust in those swings that I saw today.”
Semien went 4-for-4 in the win and added another home run in the top of the eighth for his sixth of the season.
Taylor Hearn got the starting nod for Texas in game two. He tossed 5.2 innings and earned the win, scoring his record to 4-4 on the year. The 27-year-old Royce City native allowed three earned runs on four hits, walked two, and fanned six in the victory.
Offensively, Jonah Hiem hit his seventh homer of the year, and Nathanial Lowe hit his sixth.
The win pushed the Rangers into a tie with the Angels in the AL West with a mark of 26-30, 9.5 games behind first-place Houston, and 3.5 games back in the wildcard hunt.
The Rangers have a travel day on June 9 as they head to Chicago for a three-game set against the White Sox starting on June 10.
