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Much like every game, the Rangers won a one-run contest 4-3 against Baltimore. The Orioles and Rangers finished up their series from April with a makeup game in Arlington this evening.
It was strange considering when these two teams met up on those rainy spring nights, the Rangers were just trying to get back above .500 after starting the season 1-3. At the time, The Orioles had only lost once. The rainout came on Delino DeShields socks night.
The Rangers gave away the socks to those who showed up tonight on a night where DeShields' replacement Ian Desmond once again starred for Texas with a couple of hits including a blast halfway up Greene's Hill to get the Rangers on the board.
As has been the case for many Rangers games during this winning streak, it didn't look like the Rangers were going to win early. Baltimore got to Derek Holland for three runs in the top of the 2nd and it could have been much worse. Holland gave up nine hits and two walks in his 4 1/3 innings of work so he was perhaps lucky to allow just three runs.
In the top of the 3rd, in fact, Holland loaded the bases but got J.J. Hardy to strike out and Nolan Reimold to ground into a beautifully turned double play by Adrian Beltre. I know the Rangers don't quit so I didn't see any reason to quit on them. When Holland wiggled out of the bases loaded, no out jam without allowing a run, I had high hopes that they would come back.
We will look back on that double play as the moment the Rangers won this game.
— Christopher Fittz (@apoplecticfittz) June 21, 2016
From there the Rangers did 2016 Rangers things with Desmond hitting his solo home run in the bottom of the inning and then a Texas rally produced three runs in the bottom of the 4th with Shin-Soo Choo's two-out, two run single to right field proving to be the eventual difference maker.
With the win, the Rangers moved to 21 games above .500. Texas has its longest winning streak since September 2014. Since MLB technically considers this one game a series all to itself, the Rangers also have won their last ten series. Texas is also now just one win behind the Cubs for most wins in baseball.
Baltimore is currently the leaders in the American League East and have the second best record in the American League. They are now five games behind Texas, however. The Rangers aren't just beating up on cupcakes.
Player of the Game: Elvis Andrus went 3 for 4 with a run scored and a stolen base as he continues to have one of the best seasons of his career. Elvis was only denied a 4 for 4 game after Adam Jones robbed him of extra bases in the bottom of the 8th.