Texas Rangers Rally To Prevent Sweep, Close 7-2 Homestand With Win

The Texas Rangers rally to prevent a sweep to the Los Angeles Dodgers and finish 7-2 on homestand.

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Texas Rangers were staring at a three-game sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers early Sunday afternoon.

Max Muncy's first-inning grand slam seemed to have the Dodgers poised for a sweep but the Rangers stormed back with eight unanswered runs, including two in the first, three in the second, two in the third, and another run in the fourth, to win 8-4 at Globe Life Field.

The run support allowed left-hander Martin Perez a chance to recover, and he did, holding the Dodgers scoreless on three hits over his next five innings. The bullpen added three scoreless innings of relief.

The Rangers (59-41), who remain atop the AL West, went 7-2 on their nine-game homestand since the All-Star Break. They open a three-game series against the second-place Houston Astros at 7:05 p.m. Monday at Minute Maid Park.

Rangers 8, Dodgers 4

Martin Perez Recovers

Rangers starter Martin Perez recovered after a first-inning grand slam to hold the Dodgers scoreless over the next five innings. Max Muncy's slam seemed to signal a short day for Perez, but he rebounded for a 1-2-3 second and escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the third to give Texas some much-needed innings.

Perez's final line of four runs on six hits and two walks in six innings may not look impressive – or even qualify as a quality start – but it was a gutty performance considering how it started. He earned the win to improve to 8-3.

Bottom Half Support

The Rangers received contributions throughout their lineup Sunday, but the bottom half of the lineup came through in the clutch to help sew up the win. Their Nos. 6-8 batters combined for five hits and three RBI, including two hits each for Ezequiel Duran and Brad Miller. Leody Taveras' two-run double gave Texas a 7-4 lead in the third. Texas' Nos. 6-9 hitters combined to score four runs.

Jonah Heim, batting fifth, got the Rangers' offense going with a two-run double in the first.

Up Next

The Rangers open a six-game, seven-day road trip against the Houston Astros at 7:05 p.m. Monday at Minute Maid Park. After three in Houston, the Rangers have Thursday off before a three-game set in San Diego. Texas returns to Globe Life Field Aug. 1 for a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.

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 You can follow Stefan Stevenson on Twitter @StefanVersusTex.

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