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Well this one was certainly a game between two teams with a combined record of 28-43.
Matt Moore was so close to a quality start until he allowed a two-out, two run home run off the bat of Leonys Martin to turn a 3-1 game into a 5-1 game in the top of the sixth. After Mitch Moreland yesterday, it’s clear that former Rangers still enjoy hitting at The Ballpark.
Unlike the seemingly 30 other games this season where the Rangers have trailed 5-1, Texas came back. The Rangers scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to draw even thanks to some timely extra base hits from Joey Gallo and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
With the score 5-5, however, the Rangers did what they’ve done all too often this season. They dropped the ball. Literally. This time it was Nomar Mazara who let a ball slicing down the line clank off his glove just in fair territory which allowed the Tigers to score the go-ahead run in the seventh.
The Rangers rallied once again in the bottom of the frame as Delino DeShields reached on a two-out error and scored from first on a ball hit by Shin-Soo Choo that glanced off Tigers second baseman Dixon Machado’s glove and slowly rolled into right field.
Jurickson Profar followed with the eventual game-winning, run-scoring triple on a ball to the right-center gap that Nicholas Castellanos took a poor route on and allowed to get all the way to the wall.
The Rangers finally found a team perhaps as inept as themselves defensively and it eventually paid off with a one-run win despite some truly ugly baseball.
Player of the Game: I mean, if we ignore that dropped ball episode, Mazara had a good night at the plate against a tough pitcher in Michael Fulmer. Mazara went 2-for-3 with a walk, dinger, two runs scored, and an RBI. Mazara’s home run was his fifth this month which ties him with Mookie Betts for most in the American League in May.
Up Next: Mike Minor takes the mound for Texas against RHP Mike Fiers for Detroit. First pitch from Arlington is scheduled for 7:05 pm CT.