Rangers go 1-3 in road series vs. Orioles

BALTIMORE — The Texas Rangers continued their road stretch this past weekend by traveling to Baltimore for a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Unfortunately, the Rangers’ struggles continued, as they lost the series 3-1, avoiding a sweep by winning the final game of the series.

In the first game, June 27, the Orioles obliterated the Rangers 11-2. Baltimore jumped out to a quick lead early on and never looked back, taking the lead in the series.

The Orioles set the tone for the game early on with a trio of runs in the first inning, taking a 3-0 lead. Following a scoreless second inning, the Orioles added three more runs in the third inning, raising their lead to 6-0.

The Rangers would get on the board in the top of the fourth inning when Adolis Garcia launched a solo home run, trimming the score to 6-1. The Orioles answered with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, extending their lead to 8-1.

After the fifth and sixth innings were scoreless, the Orioles hit a home run in the seventh inning, bringing the score to 9-1.

The Rangers scored again in the top of the eighth inning when Josh Smith scored a run, cutting the score to 9-2. Baltimore then added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, raising their lead to 11-2. That score held up for the remainder of the game, as the Orioles won 11-2 and took the lead in the series.

As a team, the Rangers batted 12 for 38 (.316) from the plate. Jonah Heim, Corey Seager, Smith, and Leody Taveras recorded two hits each, while Garcia, Derek Hill, Nathaniel Lowe, and Marcus Semien recorded one hit each. Garcia and Smith scored one run each.

Jon Gray suffered the loss on the mound. Across five innings, he gave up nine hits, eight earned runs, and one walk, recording one strikeout.

Jonathan Hernandez pitched two relief innings, striking out two batters and allowing two hits, one earned run, and one walk. Brock Burke pitched the eighth inning, surrendering three hits and two earned runs.

For the second game, June 28, the Rangers suffered a narrow 2-1 loss. Throughout the game, the Rangers’ offense struggled and wasted their best opportunity to score in the seventh inning, as the Orioles extended their series lead to 2-0.

The first three inning were scoreless, as both starting pitchers played well from the beginning. In the fourth inning, the Orioles scored first on a solo home run, taking a 1-0 lead.

The Orioles added onto their lead in the fifth inning, scoring a run on an error and extending their lead to 2-0. A scoreless sixth inning ensued.

The Rangers finally got on the board in the seventh inning when, with the bases loaded, Garcia scored a run when Taveras walked, cutting the score to 2-1. Unfortunately, the Rangers weren’t able to add any more runs. The final two innings were scoreless, as the Orioles held on for a 2-1 win and extended their series lead.

As a team, the Rangers batted just 4 for 31 (.129) from the plate. Travis Jankowski, Wyatt Langfod, Seager and Taveras all recorded one hit each, with Garcia scoring the Rangers’ lone run.

Max Scherzer suffered the loss on the mound. In 5 1/3 innings, he struck out four batters, allowing four hits, two earned runs, and two walks.

Jacob Latz pitched 2/3 of an inning in relief, striking out one batter and walking one. Jose Leclerc pitched the last two innings, recording two strikeouts and allowing one hit.

In the third game, June 29, the Rangers once again suffered a narrow loss, this time losing 6-5. Though the Rangers initially led 2-1 through the first four-anda- half innings, the Orioles outscored them 5-3 the rest of the way, winning the game and clinching a series win.

The Rangers would strike first in the first inning when Seager launched a solo home run, giving Texas a 1-0 lead. The Orioles responded with their own solo home run in the second inning, evening the score at 1-1.

After the third and fourth innings ended scoreless, the Rangers reclaimed their lead in the top of the fifth inning when Hill hit a solo home run, putting Texas ahead 2-1. That lead wouldn’t last long, however, as the Orioles launched a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning, pulling ahead 5-2.

The Rangers would trim the deficit to 5-4 in the sixth inning when Lowe hit a two-run home run, where Robbie Grossman also scored. The Orioles added onto their lead with another run in the seventh inning, extending their lead to 6-4.

The Rangers pulled within one run again in the eighth inning when Garcia hit a solo home run, cutting the score to 6-5. Unfortunately, that would be the final score of the game, as the Orioles held on for a 6-5 win, clinching a series victory.

As a team, the Rangers batted 9 for 36 (.250) from the plate. Lowe led the way with three hits. Garcia tallied two hits, while Grossman, Hill, Langford, and Seager added one hit each. Garcia, Grossman, Hill, Lowe, and Seager all scored one run each.

Michael Lorenzen took the loss on the mound. In five innings, he surrendered five earned runs, four hits, and four walks, notching three strikeouts. Burke pitched 1 1/3 relief innings, allowing one earned run and one walk.

Dane Dunning then pitched 1 1/3 innings, conceding three hits and two walks, striking out one batter. David Robertson pitched the final 1/3 of an inning.

For the last game, June 30, the Rangers avoided a sweep by crushing the Orioles 11-2. The Rangers would grab the early lead and never looked back, earning the victory.

Their win was highlighted by Langford hitting for the cycle: hitting a triple in the fourth inning, a double in the fifth inning, a single in the sixth inning, and a home run in the eighth inning. He became the first player to hit for the cycle in all of Major League Baseball this season, and became the first Rangers player to hit for the cycle since Carlos Gomez in 2017.

After a scoreless first inning, the Rangers took the lead in the top of the second inning when Hill hit a tworun home run, where Lowe also scored, giving Texas a 2-0 lead. The Orioles then scored a run in the bottom of the second inning, cutting the score to 2-1.

Following a scoreless third inning, the Rangers added three more runs. Langford, Lowe, and Andrew Knizer all scored, as the Rangers extended their lead to 5-1. The Orioles added another run in the bottom of the fourth inning, making the score 5-2.

In the fifth inning, the Rangers added three more runs. Garcia and Langford began the rally with their own runs, making the score 7-2. Soon after. Hill launched a solo home run, extending Texas’ lead to 8-2.

Following scoreless sixth and seventh innings, the Rangers scored once more when Langford swatted a three-run home run. Grossman and Garcia also scored, as the Rangers increased their lead to 11-2. That score held up for the rest of the game, as the Rangers won the game 112, salvaging a win.

As a team, the Rangers batted 13 for 40 (.325) from the plate. Langford led the way with a four-hit performance. Hill, Knizer, Lowe, and Smith recorded two hits each, and Garcia added one hit.

Langford also finished as the leading scorer with three runs. Garcia, Hill, and Lowe added two runs each, while Grossman and Knizer added one run each.

Andrew Heaney picked up the win on the mound. Across seven innings, he struck out 10 batters, surrendering only five hits and two earned runs. Jose Urena pitched the last two innings, striking out two batters and allowing two hits.

With these results, the Rangers are now 38-46 on the season. They resumed action Tuesday, welcoming the San Diego Padres to Globe Life Field for a threegame series.