Sept. 19 – The Texas Rangers aim to continue their recent home success with a win in a three-game series over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday afternoon in Arlington, Texas.
The Rangers (73-79) won 2-0 on Wednesday after a 13-run, 13-hit effort in Tuesday’s series opener. Adolis Garcia hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning and Texas improved to 8-2 in its last 10 games at Globe Life Field.
Rookie Wyatt Langford homered five times and reached base on Monday and led off the sixth inning with a single on Tuesday.
“We haven’t seen the best of this guy yet,” Rangers coach Bruce Bochy said of the 22-year-old Langford.
“No. 1 because of his talent, but also how hard he works and how dedicated he is to his craft. You can hit him anywhere in the outfield, hit him anywhere in the top five, top six. He’s going to do a lot of things. “He’s going to be fun for fans to watch here for years to come.”
Garcia entertains fans in his own way. After Langford’s single, he hit a sinker over the wall into left field, giving the Rangers all the offense they needed on Wednesday.
Alejandro Kirk extended his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games with a single in the fifth inning for the Blue Jays (72-80) on Wednesday.
The Rangers will put Kumar Rocker (0-0, 2.25 ERA) opposite right-hander Kevin Gausman (12-11, 4.02) for his second career start.
Roark, 24, overcame a poor start to his major league debut last Thursday, striking out seven on three hits in four innings and allowing one run. He was removed from the game after throwing 74 pitches in Texas’ win over the Seattle Mariners.
“We got him where we wanted him, about 75 pitches, and he has to feel good about that start,” Bochy said. “I’m sure he was nervous out there, and then the first two guys got hurt, and, you know, he had runners in scoring position, nobody out, and he pitched when he needed to. So that says a lot about him.
Gausman, 33, extended his winning streak to three starts despite allowing two runs in seven innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
He pitched strongly in his final start against Texas on July 27, allowing three runs on four hits in nine innings in a 7-3 home win. He is 6-3 with a 3.66 ERA in 12 career games against Texas.
Toronto’s Bo Bichette was ruled out late Wednesday after suffering a right middle finger injury during pregame warmups. The move came a day after the two-time All-Star played his first game in two months after being activated from the injured list because of a calf strain.
Additionally, the Blue Jays announced that infielder Will Wagner will have surgery on his left knee and will need to rest for at least four weeks. He is the son of former major league player Billy Wagner.
“He’s probably a little relieved that the matter is resolved now,” Toronto coach John Schneider said. “He’s doing really well and we have a lot of confidence in him, and rightfully so.”
–Visual-level media
