Montgomery gassed as Rangers drop Game 2 to Arizona 9-1

The Texas Rangers scored once but the Arizona Diamondbacks scored nine runs.

The Rangers saw Zac Gallen more than you’d expect this season considering the teams met just four times in their two, two-game series. But they never got a look at Merrill Kelly — the Diamondback’s other good starter — this year and that seemed to put the brakes on their offensive onslaught through the postseason as Kelly stymied the Texas bats for just one run on three hits in seven excellent innings.

Meanwhile, Jordan Montgomery was more guts and gumption than his usual October dominance as his cameo out of the bullpen in Game 7 of the ALCS perhaps left him with not much in the tank for tonight’s contest with his stuff not eliciting swings and misses and his velocity down.

Nevertheless, Montgomery still battled through six innings but he allowed nine hits and struck out no one while giving up four of Arizona’s runs. It was an inopportune time for Montgomery to have run out of steam but his efforts all postseason have been a big reason for why Texas is in the Fall Classic in the first place.

There ultimately was no chance for some more late-innings magic after the Diamondbacks cracked open the game with two runs in the 7th, three runs in the 8th, and two more in the 9th.

The Rangers were able to steal one last night but the series in now tied and Texas has lost home field advantage with three games upcoming in Arizona.

Player of the Game: Mitch Garver went down and found a fastball he could golf for a solo home run that gave the Rangers some hope in the middle innings. Alas...

Up Next: The Rangers get a travel day as the series heads to Arizona for Game 3 beginning on Monday night. RHP Max Scherzer will make the start for Texas hoping the cobwebs have been knocked off while Arizona will counter with rookie RHP Brandon Pfaadt.

The Game 3 first pitch from Chase Field is scheduled for 7:03 pm CT and will be aired on FOX.