DENVER — The Texas Rangers won their road series against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field this week, winning two out of three games. After suffering a close loss in the first game, the Rangers earned a shutout win in the second game and a close win in the third, taking the series.
GAME 1 ROCKIES 7 RANGERS 6
In the first game of the series, May 18, the Rockies edged out the Rangers 7-6. A strong start early on by the Rockies proved too much for the Rangers to overcome in the end, despite a furious comeback effort late in the game.
The Rockies took command of the game right away in the first inning, scoring two runs and building a 2-0 lead. The Rangers trimmed the deficit to 2-1 in the second inning when Ezequiel Duran scored on an RBI double by Justin Foscue.
The Rockies extended their lead to 4-1 in the third inning with another pair of runs. In the fourth inning, the Rockies scored two more runs, raising their lead to 6-1.
The Rangers trimmed the score to 6-2 in the fifth inning when Foscue launched a solo home run.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Rangers reduced the deficit to 6-3 when Duran scored on an RBI double by Foscue. The Rockies answered with another run in the bottom of the sixth inning, extending their lead to 7-3.
After a scoreless seventh inning, the Rangers’ offense caught fire. Jake Burger and Josh Jung scored on a two-RBI single by Duran, trimming the score to 7-5. Later on, Danny Jansen scored on an RBI fielder’s choice by Alejandro Osuna, reducing the deficit to 7-6.
Unfortunately, the Rangers’ comeback effort fell short, as the Rockies held on for a 7-6 victory and took the lead in the series.
As a team, the Rangers batted 10 for 37 (.270) from the plate. Duran and Foscue led with three hits each, while Burger, Michael Helman, Jung and Andrew McCutchen added one hit each.
Duran took top scoring honors with two runs each, while Burger, Foscue, Jansen and Jung added one hit each.
Mackenzie Gore suffered the loss on the mound. He lasted only one inning, striking out two batters and allowing three hits, two earned runs and two walks before leaving the game with muscle tightness in his back.
Peyton Gray pitched 2⅔ innings, striking out three batters and conceding four hits (two earned), two hits and one walk. Jalen Beeks pitched 1⅓ innings, conceding just one hits.
Gavin Collyer pitched the sixth inning, conceding just one hit and one earned run. Cole Winn pitched the seventh inning, striking out one batter. Jakob Junis pitched the eighth inning, retiring all three batters he faced.
GAME 2 RANGERS 10 ROCKIES 0
For the second game of the series, May 19, the Rangers shut out the Rockies 10-0. A dominant start on offense and strong defense throughout the game propelled Texas to a dominant win, allowing the Rangers to tie the series.
The Rangers immediately made their presence felt in the first inning when McCutchen and Brandon Nimmo scored on a two-RBI double by Duran, building a 2-0 advantage. In the second inning, the Rangers added three runs. Joc Pederson, Nimmo and Jung all scored, bringing the score to 5-0.
After a scoreless third inning, the Rangers raised their lead to 7-0 in the fourth inning when Nimmo launched a two-run home run, in which Foscue also scored. Texas extended their lead to 8-0 in the fifth inning when Evan Carter scored on a sacrifice fly ball by Foscue.
Following a scoreless sixth inning, Danny Jansen scored on an RBI single by Pederson in the seventh inning, increasing the Rangers’ lead to 9-0. In the eighth inning, Sam Haggerty added a run on an RBI double by Duran.
From there, the Rangers’ defense kept the Rockies off the board, polishing off a 10-0 victory and evening the series.
As a team, the Rangers batted 16 for 40 (.400) from the plate. Pederson led the way with four hits, while Duran and Nimmo followed right behind with three hits each. Burger added two hits, while Carter, Foscue, Jansen and Jung tallied one hit each.
Nimmo took top scoring honors with three runs, while Carter, Foscue, Haggerty, Jansen, Jung, Mc-Cutchen and Pederson added one run each.
Tyler Alexander started the game on the mound, pitching the first inning and tallying one strikeout. Kumar Rocker pitched the next 7⅔ innings, striking out seven batters and allowing just three hits and three walks, earning the win.
Beeks got the final out of the game, inducing a pop out.
GAME 3 RANGERS 5 ROCKIES 4
In the third and final of the game, May 20, the Rangers edged out the Rockies 5-4. In a closely-contested game, the Rangers managed to make the key plays late in the game when it mattered most, winning the game and the series.
The Rockies struck first in the first inning with a run, taking a 1-0 lead. Two scoreless innings followed.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Rangers took a 2-1 lead when Duran launched a two-run home run, in which Jung also scored. Later on, Burger hit a solo home run, extending the lead to 3-1. The Rockies scored another run in the bottom of the fourth inning, trimming the Rangers’ lead to 3-2.
The fifth inning saw the Rockies add another run, tying the score at 3-3. The next three innings didn’t feature any scoring.
In the top of the ninth inning, the Rangers tied the score at 4-4 when Pederson scored on a passed ball. Later on, Foscue scored the goahead run on an RBI single by Jung. From there, the Rangers’ defense managed to preserve the lead, capping off a 5-4 victory and a series win.
As a team, the Rangers batted 13 for 39 (.333) from the plate. Foscue and Jung led the way with three hits each. Burger recorded two hits, while Duran, Haggerty, Kyle Higashioka, Nimmo and Osuna added one hit each.
Burger, Duran, Foscue, Jung and Pederson all scored one run each.
Jack Leiter started the game on the mound. Across five innings, he struck out five batters and conceded seven hits, four earned runs and two walks. Junis pitched the sixth inning, retiring all three batters he faced.
Alexander pitched the seventh inning, notching two strikeouts. Jacob Latz pitched the final two innings, striking out four batters and allowing just one hit, earning his first win of the season.
UP NEXT
With these results, the Rangers are now 24-25 on the season. They resumed action Friday, traveling to Anaheim for a three-game divisional series against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium.