Postgame Notes: Rays 3, Rangers 1

Postgame notes from the Texas Rangers' 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday at Globe Life Field.

TEXAS has lost consecutive games for just the third time since April 30 and has dropped two straight to end this series after reaching .500 mark with Tuesday's win for the first time all year and the latest in a season since Sept. 2019. The Rangers are 3-3-2 in last eight series after Thursday. The Rangers are now 6-10 in day games this season.

TAYLOR HEARN threw less than five innings for the third time in four starts, posting a 5.79 earned run average in his last four starts. He has 10 walks and 12 strikeouts.

MARCUS SEMIEN hit a solo home run in the sixth inning for the Rangers' first run...it was his second home run of the season, both of which have come in the last six games (he hit a grand slam on Saturday at Oakland). He now has five career home runs at Globe Life Field, but Thursday's was his first as a Ranger.

JOSH SMITH doubled to open the first inning for Texas in his first MLB action in the leadoff spot. He was also hit by a pitch in the eighth. He has been hit by three pitches in his first four MLB games. It was the sixth time in the last seven games that a Rangers leadoff hitter reach base safely multiple times.

BROCK BURKE posted two shutout innings despite allowing three baserunners, as he now has 15 shutout innings in eight appearances since the start of May. Through his first 15 relief appearances, Burke has a 3-0 record with a 1.01 ERA, 31 strikeouts and eight walks. According to Stathead, Burke is the first relief pitcher in franchise history to post an ERA as low as 1.01, log 25.0 or more innings pitched, and record 30 or more strikeouts in his first 15 appearances of a season.

TAMPA BAY won the final two games of this four-game set to salvage a series split and improve to 30-21, matching their high-water mark for the season at nine games above .500. The Rays improved to 25-6 when allowing three-or-fewer runs, doing so in each of the final 3 games of this series (2-1).

COREY KLUBER earned his first road win of 2022 after allowing just the Semien solo home run over six innings. He has quality starts in five of his last seven starts. He threw just 69 pitches and has thrown 80 or fewer pitches in four of his last five quality starts. The former Ranger became the first pitcher to make a start at Globe Life Field with three different teams (TEX/NYY/TB), and today was his first outing at Globe Life since his no-hitter on May 19, 2021 at TEX with the Yankees

MANUEL MARGOT went 2-for-3 with two singles and two walks, matching his season best by reaching base 4 times.

YANDY DÍAZ was one of two Tampa Bay batters with a multi-hit game (also Harold Ramirez), which included an RBI single in the third inning. He hit safely in each of his 3 starts in this series and reached base in seven of his 10 plate appearances in the last 2 games.

SHORTS: Corey Seager was given the day off for just second time this year (also April 17 vs. Los Angeles Angels)...the Rangers scored seven total runs in final three games of this series, going 3-for-26 with runners in scoring position. over those 3 G.

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