LIVE: Rangers Out-Slug Reds 12-9

The Texas Rangers look to continue their winning ways as they welcome the Cincinnati Reds to Surprise Stadium.

Cincinnati Reds (5-11-1) at Texas Rangers (8-5-3)

Thursday, March 18, 2021
6:05 PM PT (8:05 PM CT)
Surprise Stadium | Surprise, AZ

Probables:
CIN: RHP Jeff Hoffman (0-1, 5.63 ERA)
vs
TEX: RHP Mike Foltynewicz (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

Broadcast

The Texas Rangers radio broadcast will carry the game on 105.3 The Fan. Matt Hicks and Jared Sandler will be on the call.

Texas Rangers Starting Lineup

1. CF Leody Taveras
2. RF Eli White
3. 1B Nate Lowe
4. DH Khris Davis
5. 3B Brock Holt
6. 2B Andy Ibáñez
7. SS Charlie Culberson
8. LF Delino DeShields
9. C Drew Butera

Cincinnati Reds Starting Lineup

1. CF Nick Senzel
2. LF Jesse Winker
3. 3B Dee Strange-Gordon
4. SS Kyle Farmer
5. 2B Jonathan India
6. RF Tyler Naquin
7. C Tyler Stephenson
8. 1B Nicky Delmonico
9. P Jeff Hoffman

Texas Rangers Pitching Schedule

• RHP Mike Foltynewicz
• LHP Kolby Allard
• RHP José Leclerc

Backing up the scheduled trio:

• RHP Jharel Cotton
• RHP Jimmy Herget
• RHP Alex Speas

Rangers Injury Report

• Brett de Geus (gastrointestinal issue): Left Sunday's game with abdominal cramping. He is currently undergoing testing and nothing alarming has come back yet. He has no restrictions at this time, but the Rangers are proceeding cautiously with him.
• Jonathan Hernández (low-grade UCL sprain): An MRI revealed the injury after his last live BP session. He is one week into a four-week shut down (READ MORE on Hernández's injury).
• Willie Calhoun (groin tightness): Calhoun hasn't progressed as quickly as the Rangers had originally hoped. GM Chris Young confirmed this past Tuesday that he is "unlikely" to be on the Opening Day roster (READ MORE on Calhoun's injury).
• Brett Martin (lower-back tightness): Martin has progressed and is not experiencing any symptoms in his back. He threw a bullpen on Tuesday.
• Joe Palumbo (lower-back tightness): Palumbo is dealing with minimal symptoms in his back, and threw a bullpen on Wednesday.
• Demarcus Evans (right lat strain): The Rangers are taking it slow with Evans. He was supposed to be throwing off a mound by this point, but Chris Young said on Tuesday that may not be happening. They truly want Evans to be over this injury before they ramp him up.
• Joely Rodríguez (sprained ankle): Rodríguez's ankle is no longer bothering him, but he is having to build up arm strength since the injury set him back. He will threw his first bullpen last Friday, and should be able to pitch in games by the end of the spring. In all likelihood, he will not be ready for Opening Day.
• Brock Burke (left shoulder surgery): The Rangers are taking it slow with him coming off surgery in 2020. He is throwing off a mound and the club is very pleased with his progress.
• Sam Huff (grade 2 hamstring strain): Huff had an MRI, and is making "good progress." He will see increased baseball activity over the next couple of weeks. It is still unlikely he will play in Cactus League games before the end of spring training.

Rangers Roster Moves

The Rangers assigned six more players to the minor league side in camp. They will remain in big league camp, and can play in Cactus League games, but are no longer being considered for the big league roster to start the season.

• RHP Sam Gaviglio
• RHP Jimmy Herget
• C John Hicks
• INF Yonny Hernandez
• 1B Curtis Terry
• OF Adolis García

Game Recap

Rangers 12, Reds 9

• Khris Davis hit two home runs tonight, finishing 3-for-4 with four RBI. He hit a solo homer in the second inning, and launched a titanic three-run blast in a six-run sixth inning to give the Rangers an 11-9 lead — their first lead of the ballgame. Davis has now hit three home runs in the last two days, as he also went deep in a ‘B’ game on Wednesday against the Cleveland Indians.
• The rest of the Rangers lineup did plenty of damage. Leody Taveras was 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI). Nate Lowe was 1-for-4 with a walk and a two-run double in the fifth inning. Charlie Culberson was 1-for-3 with an RBI and two walks, and Eli White was 0-for-2, but drew two walks, drove in a run, reached base a third time on a hit-by-pitch, stole a base, and scored two runs.
• Rangers starter Mike Foltynewicz was only able to pitch two of the four innings for which he was scheduled. He allowed home runs to Tyler Naquin and Jonathan India, and three of his runs were unearned due to his own throwing error committed on a sacrifice bunt attempt. He was removed from the game with two outs in the second inning and returned for the third inning, only to be pulled after recording one out. This was the first time the Rangers utilized the spring training rule that allows for pitchers to re-enter at a later point in the game.

Promo photo: Kelly Gavin / Courtesy of the Texas Rangers

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Chris Halicke covers the Texas Rangers for InsideTheRangers.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHalicke.
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