Rangers lose first road series to Giants

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—The Texas Rangers traveled to San Francisco Friday to face the Giants for a three-game set. The Rangers opened the season with five consecutive home games before having to travel for the first time. Texas entered the series with a 2-3 record.

GAME ONE

Coming off a win in the series finale against Arizona, Mike Minor took the mound Friday, hoping to lead the Rangers to the first pair of back-to-back wins. Shin-Soo Choo got Texas on the board quickly, hitting a leadoff home run, his first of the season.

Minor allowed a run in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 1. In the top of the third, Rangers slugger Joey Gallo hit a RBI double to score Rougned Odor to give Texas a 2-1 lead.

Unfortunately for Texas, that was the last run they would score in the game, and the Giants offense came alive in the bottom of the fifth, when they scored three runs. San Francisco added to their lead in the sixth with another pair of runs, making the score 6-2. In the bottom of the seventh, the Giants added three more runs to give them a 9-2 lead, which ended up being the final score.

The loss went to Minor and was his second of the year making him 0-2 with a 5.91 ERA to start the season. Minor went 5.2 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits and two walks, while only striking out three.

GAME TWO

Texas was able to score first again in the second game of the series, when Todd Frazier singled to right to bring in both Elvis Andrus and Gallo. San Fransisco immediately answered back in the bottom of the inning with an Evan Longoria double that scored two.

The Giants scored a pair of runs in the third and one in the sixth before adding two more in the eighth inning to give them a 7-2 lead heading into the top of the ninth.

With just two outs left in the game Scott Heineman showed some life by hitting his first home run of the year, bringing the Rangers deficit to 7-3. San Francisco’s Sam Selman got out of the inning without allowing another run and the Giants took the second game of the series.

GAME THREE

Hoping to avoid being swept for the first time this season, Texas would once again score first in the series finale on Sunday. In the top of the second inning Heineman doubled to bring in Nick Solak and Gallo. Right behind him, Rangers catcher Jeff Mathis singled to bring in Heineman and gave Texas a quick 3-0 lead.

Leading 3-1 in the top of the fifth inning, Choo hit his second home run of the series, this one a two-run shot that would score Isaiah Kiner-Falefa.

Things got rocky for the Rangers in the bottom of the sixth inning when the Giants put together a three-run inning to tie the game 5-5.

Rangers youngster Willie Calhoun ignited the Rangers offense with a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh which scored Mathis, and Gallo followed with a three-run shot, pushing the lead to 9-5. The late homer was Gallo’s third of the season.

Reliever Jonathan Hernandez got the win for Texas, it was his second of the year, giving him a record of 2-0. In his two innings of work, Hernandez allowed just one base runner, which came via the walk, and struck out four.

Texas will stay on the road for a three-game set against the Oakland Athletics before returning home Friday for a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. The game on Friday will start at 8:05 p.m. and air on Fox Sports 1.