Rangers' Bats Break Out with a Five-Run Eighth Inning in Victory Over Diamondbacks
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers' offense has struggled mightily in the first four games of the season. The dam might have finally broke on Wednesday afternoon at Globe Life Field.
The Texas Rangers rebounded from Tuesday's loss to the Diamondbacks with a 7-4 victory on Wednesday afternoon at Globe Life Field. They scored five runs in the eighth inning, sparked by a lead-off walk by Rougned Odor. Joey Gallo then tied the game with a two-run home run to left field. With the bases loaded and two outs, Elvis Andrus shot a line drive up the middle for a two-run single to give the Rangers the lead. Nick Solak added another run with an RBI single.
“We just strung a lot of hits together and some good at-bats," Gallo said. "I think it was a great sign that we were finally able to put something together. That is what we can do. We are going to have to score runs that way. The field is the field.”
Lance Lynn followed up his solid start on Opening Day with a stellar outing on Wednesday. He went six innings, allowed only one hit, two walks, and struck out eight hitters. A 30-pitch third inning hindered any ability for Lynn to go deep into the game.
Lynn entered the game seeking victory number 100 in his career. However, the bullpen was not able to hold the lead. Jesse Chavez and Jonathan Hernández both gave up two runs each in the seventh and eighth innings, giving the Diamondbacks a 4-2 lead.
It's unfortunate for Lynn, who has gotten off to a hot start with 12 scoreless innings in his first two starts.
"I think whenever you start a season, whether it's April or end of July, you want to get off to a good start," Lynn said. "No matter when you take the ball, if you can give your team a chance to win, that's what I'm about. So far I've done that and that's my goal every time I take the ball. Whatever I have that day, I'm going to give it my all and try to win the game. And if I do that, then I'm okay to look myself in the mirror tonight."
The eighth inning could be the catalyst for the offense finally breaking out and being able to support the pitching staff, which has gotten off to a fabulous start. What the Rangers are focused on is making sure this newfound offense is more typical going forward rather than an anomaly.
"Those were huge at-bats and it kind of snowballs into the havoc we want to create on the basepaths," Woodward said. "Everything we talk about we were able to implement today because of the quality at-bats we had at the end of the game. It’s a huge victory for us, obviously we have to stay consistent with the same approach."
Rangers Beat
José Leclerc initially began warming up for the final inning, but experienced some tightness in his shoulder. He immediately sat down and Nick Goody came in to close out the game for the Rangers. He will be further evaluated on Thursday.
The Rangers are off on Thursday and begin a six-game road trip in the bay area, beginning with a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants on Friday followed by three games in Oakland beginning next Tuesday. Mike Minor, Jordan Lyles, and Kolby Allard are projected to start for the Rangers in San Francisco.
Follow Inside The Rangers on SI on Twitter: @SITexasRangers
Like Inside The Rangers on SI on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SITexasRangers
Follow our Rangers insider Chris Halicke on Twitter: @ChrisHalicke
