Corey Seager's Two Homers Lifts Rangers Past Pirates
In a battle of two scuffling teams, the Texas Rangers (58-68) took game one from the Pittsburgh Pirates (58-66) on Monday night by a 4-3 score.
Pirates starting pitcher Luis Ortiz had a bit of a rocky start to the game, giving up two home runs in the first three innings of the game, both to shortstop Corey Seager. The solo shot in the first came off a cutter right down the middle while the three-run bomb came off a hanging slider. Aside from those two long balls from Seager, Ortiz pretty much breezed through the Rangers' lineup. He punched out seven hitters and surrendered just three hits that didn't leave the yard over six innings.
In the top of the fourth, Jared Triolo took a big chunk into the Texas lead with a three-run home run that hugged the left field line all the way to the seats. That would be his second homer in three days and with Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) on the shelf, he'll continue to get more opportunities.
The Pirates had the tying run 90 feet away in the fifth, but Rowdy Tellez was called out on strikes on a pitch up and in off the plate. In their final four trips to the plate, Pittsburgh failed to get a runner beyond first base. José Ureña was rock solid in four innings of relief for Texas, picking up Dane Dunning who was knocked out of the game shortly after the Triolo home run.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES
1. 2B Isiah Kiner-Falefa 0-5
2. LF Bryan Reynolds 1-4
3. SS Oneil Cruz 0-3, BB
4. DH Joey Bart 2-4
5. 1B Rowdy Tellez 0-4
6. C Yasmani Grandal 0-3, BB
7. RF Billy McKinney 2-4
8. 3B Jared Triolo 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB
9. CF Ji-Hwan Bae 1-4
TEXAS RANGERS
1. 2B Marcus Semien 2-4
2. SS Corey Seager 2-3, BB, 2 HR, 4 RBI
3. DH Josh Smith 0-4
4. RF Adolis Garcia 0-3
5. 1B Nathaniel Lowe 0-3
6. 3B Josh Jung 0-3
7. LF Wyatt Langford 0-3
8. C Jonah Heim 1-3
9. OF Leody Tavares 0-3
Tomorrow's probables: Mitch Keller (10-7, 3.95 ERA) vs. Cody Bradford (4-0, 3.50 ERA). First pitch is set for 8:05 p.m. EST.
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN