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Reuters
2 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Rangers dispatch Braves for sixth straight win
July 27 - Wyatt Langford drove in three runs with a first-inning double and Josh Smith and Josh Jung added two RBI each to back a solid start by rookie Jack Leiter as the soaring Texas Rangers waylaid the Atlanta Braves 8-1 on Sunday afternoon in the finale of a three-game interleague series in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won their sixth straight game, earned their second consecutive series sweep and captured their fourth series in a row. Texas is 8-1 since the All-Star Break and pulled to within four games of Houston in the American League West standings while collecting 10 hits, three by Smith. Atlanta, mired in fourth place in the National League East, dropped its fifth straight game and seventh of nine contests after the break. The Braves managed just four hits on Sunday against three Texas pitchers and are season-worst 16 games under .500. Leiter was outstanding for the Rangers, allowing a run on two hits and three walks over six innings. He tied a season high with seven strikeouts and won his career-high third straight start. Brad Elder (4-7) was ineffective from the start for the Braves, allowing eight runs on six hits, four walks and a hit batter over 2 2/3 innings while pitching about 50 miles southeast of his hometown of Decatur, Texas. The Rangers set the pace early, taking a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a two-out, three-run double by Langford that drove in Smith, Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia, all of whom reached without a hit. Atlanta cut into its deficit in the second as Sean Murphy's bloop, ground-rule double scored Drake Baldwin, who had walked. But the Rangers swung back in the bottom of the frame, adding a pair of runs on Smith's two-run home run over the right field fence that scored Jonah Heim and made it 5-1. In the third, Texas loaded the bases off Elder with a single, a walk and a hit batsman before Josh Jung plated Garcia and Langford with a single. Heim then drove in Carter with a single that ended the Atlanta starter's stint. That was more than enough for the Rangers and way too much of a hole from which Atlanta to climb. --Field Level Media
Reuters
3 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Marcus Semien's walk-off single in 10th lifts Rangers over hapless Braves
July 27 - Marcus Semien's walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning proved the difference as the Texas Rangers stayed hot with a 6-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday in the middle game of a three-game interleague series in Arlington, Texas. Semien's hit off the Braves' Enyel De Los Santos (3-3) drove home Josh Smith from second base and came after De Los Santos, Atlanta's sixth pitcher of the day, intentionally walked Corey Seager. Shawn Armstrong (4-3) was the beneficiary of Semien's game-winner after a wild ninth inning in which both teams scored a run. Michael Harris II tripled and trotted home on Sean Murphy's one-out sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth for Atlanta before the Rangers' Jonah Heim countered with a double to bring in pinch runner Sam Haggerty and send the game to extra innings. The Rangers have won five straight games and seven of eight since the All-Star break, while Atlanta has dropped four contests in a row. The Braves' loss ruined a splendid showing from Harris, who had a solo home run, a double and two triples, accounting for four of Atlanta's eight hits. Josh Jung had two hits for the Rangers, while Adolis Garcia had a pair of RBIs. The Braves got on the board in the first when Ozzie Albies singled to right field to drive home Jurickson Profar, who had walked to open the game. Atlanta added to its lead in the second as Harris tripled with one out and scored on Profar's two-out single to center. Texas responded in the bottom of the second. Garcia walked to open the frame and scored on a Evan Carter's triple to right field. Jung then came through with a two-out single to left to plate Carter and tie the game at 2. The Rangers maintained the momentum, taking the lead in the third inning when Garcia's single to center pushed across Seager, who had singled, and Semien, who was hit by a pitch. Harris' ground-rule double in the fourth brought home Albies -- who had walked and stole second base -- and trimmed the Braves' deficit to one run. Harris then tied the game in the sixth with a solo home run to center off Rangers reliever Jon Gray. That set the stage for the wild ninth inning and Semien's heroics in the 10th. --Field Level Media
Reuters
3 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Rangers out to keep rolling behind Kumar Rocker as they face struggling Braves
July 26 - The Texas Rangers have won six of seven games since the All-Star break and will look to continue that roll when they clash with the sputtering Atlanta Braves on Saturday in the middle game of a three-game interleague series in Arlington, Texas. The contest will be a meeting of right-handed starters, with Grant Holmes (4-9, 3.81 ERA) taking the mound for the Braves and Texas countering with Kumar Rocker (4-4, 5.66). Texas took the series opener 8-3 on Friday behind five strong innings from starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, two RBIs that included a solo home run by Jonah Heim, and a run and an RBI from Sam Haggerty in his first game back from the injured list (ankle). The Rangers won their fourth straight game, while Atlanta dropped its third consecutive contest. Rocker has been eye-opening in his six starts since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on June 15. He's 3-0 and has surrendered more than two runs just once during that stretch. He pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed just one hit and three walks while striking out five in his latest appearance, a game the Rangers won 4-1 over the Detroit Tigers on July 19. Rocker didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning against the Tigers in a solid bounce back from a no-decision in an 11-8 loss at the Los Angeles Angels on July 9 when he gave up six runs on six hits -- three of them home runs -- in 4 1/3 innings. "(Kumar) has done a lot to get to where he needs to be," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said after Rocker's most recent start. "I'll be honest. I'm amazed at the difference in just one start from when he went down and when he came back up -- I think he just grew as a pitcher. I love the way he's made adjustments, gained awareness. "He had that little bit of a hiccup there in Anaheim but besides that, he was right on. So I love the progress that he's made." Rocker, a rookie, has not pitched against the Braves in his 15 major league appearances. Holmes is in the hunt for his first win since June 21 after compiling an 0-3 mark over his past five starts, despite allowing more than three runs just once in that stretch. He took the 4-2 loss last Sunday at home against the Yankees. He allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings while striking out two in a 4-2. Holmes said the Braves are sticking to a one-game-at-a-time mantra to try to work themselves back into postseason contention. They have a huge mountain to climb, however, as they start Saturday 10 games behind the San Diego Padres for the final wild-card berth in the National League. "All we can do is just focus on today and play hard each and every day and come to the ball field and do your best and get your work in," Holmes told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I wish you could win five games in one day, put five wins in the win column one day. But you can only win one game at a time, and that's what it's all about." Holmes has never faced the Rangers in his 47 major league appearances. -Field Level Media
Reuters
7 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Three-run fifth inning carries Mets to win over Angels
July 23 - Francisco Alvarez hit a game-tying two-run homer in the fifth inning and Brandon Nimmo delivered an RBI single two batters later as the host New York Mets earned another comeback win, edging the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Tuesday. The Mets have won three straight, all in come-from-behind fashion, and they will shoot for a sweep of the three-game interleague series on Wednesday. The Angels lost for the third time in four games. Los Angeles' Jorge Soler homered in the second inning off Frankie Montas (3-1). Nolan Schanuel's RBI double down the first base line in the fifth gave the Angels a 2-0 lead before the Mets mounted a two-out rally against Kyle Hendricks (5-7) in the bottom of the frame. Brett Baty doubled and Alvarez, playing his second game since being promoted from Triple-A Syracuse on Monday, followed seven pitches later with a homer to left. It was Alvarez's fourth round-tripper of the season and first at home. Ronny Mauricio singled on Hendricks' next pitch, stole second and scored on Nimmo's hit. The rally put Montas in line for the win. The right-hander, who made his fifth start after missing most of the first half due to a lat injury, gave up the two runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out six over 5 2/3 innings. New York relievers Rico Garcia and Reed Garrett combined for 2 1/3 innings of one-hit ball. Ryne Stanek gave up singles to Logan O'Hoppe and Schanuel in the ninth before closing out his third save -- and his second in the past three games -- by getting Mike Trout to pop out to first baseman Pete Alonso. Schanuel finished with a career-high four hits. He entered Tuesday with 17 three-hit games. O'Hoppe went 3-for-4 while Luis Rengifo, batting behind O'Hoppe in the ninth spot, finished 2-for-5. Hendricks allowed the three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two in 4 2/3 innings. He retired 13 of the first 15 batters he faced before Baty's double. --Field Level Media
Reuters
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Yankees optimistic, Braves searching for answers as second half begins
July 18 - Two teams headed in different directions will resume the season Friday when the New York Yankees visit the Atlanta Braves to open a three-game interleague series. The Yankees entered the All-Star break at 53-43, good for second place in the American League East, two games behind Toronto. New York won five of its final seven games before the break. "There's a long way to go still," New York manager Aaron Boone said. "We've got to keep getting better, but we're in a position to do what we need to do." The Braves are 42-53, 12 1/2 games behind NL East-leading Philadelphia and a long-distance 9 1/2 games back in the wild-card race. Atlanta won two of three in its last series, but has dropped 12 of its last 17 games. "It's been a tough first half and that's probably understating everything," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. "We've got to look for positives." The Braves won two of three against the Yankees in New York last season and swept a three-game series against New York in Atlanta in 2023. The Yankees last won the teams' season series in 2021, when they took three of four games. Atlanta will start Spencer Strider (3-7, 3.94 ERA). Fellow right-hander Ian Hamilton (1-0, 3.47) will start for the Yankees in what will turn into a bullpen game for the Yankees. Hamilton has made 31 appearances with no starts. Strider is beginning to round into form from the right elbow surgery that cost him most of last season. Over the last six starts his ERA is 2.95 and he has pitched at least six innings in five of those appearances. In his last outing before the All-Star break, Strider received no decision against the Athletics on July 10 after throwing 6 2/3 innings and allowing three runs on five hits -- one of them a three-run homer in the first inning -- with three walks and 11 strikeouts. "In a lot of cases it just feels like it's a couple of pitches, but that's just being able to execute consistently," Strider said. A month ago, the Braves swept the Mets in Atlanta and sparked hopes of a surge to make the playoffs. But since then, when they were only five games below .500, the Braves have lost starting pitchers Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach to long-term injuries. That puts more pressure on Strider to return to his role as a top-of-the-rotation guy. Strider has never faced the Yankees. Hamilton has made one career start against the Braves, pitching 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Before ending the first half on a strong note, New York had endured a six-game losing streak, which included a four-game sweep at Toronto. But Boone considers that a bump in the road. "I sit here very convinced that we have a really good club with tremendous capabilities, but we've got to realize that potential," Boone said. "Now we get to go hopefully make it happen here the rest of the way in the second half and ultimately become the team we want to be." The Yankees have scored 501 runs and have a plus-111 run differential, both No. 1 in the American League. Aaron Judge (.355, 35 homers, 81 RBIs) has established himself as a Triple Crown candidate. Atlanta's offense has struggled. The Braves have scored only 388 runs and have a plus-2 run differential. Ronald Acuna Jr. is batting .323 with 12 homers in 45 games since returning from last season's knee surgery. --Field Level Media
