Rangers' Bats Come Alive In Front of Record Crowd To Top Braves, 7-3

The Texas Rangers' offense scored seven runs early while the pitching staff kept the defending champions at bay, taking two of three over the weekend.

Chris Halicke | May 1, 2022

ARLINGTON, Texas — In front of the largest crowd for a single game at Globe Life Field, the Texas Rangers defeated the Atlanta Braves, 7-3. The Rangers took two of three games in the series, improving to 8-14 on the season.

The Rangers offense has been struggling as of late, especially with scoring runs early. After scoring in the first inning for the first time since Opening Day in Saturday's win over the Braves, the lineup struck again in the opening frame thanks to an RBI single by Mitch Garver.

Unlike Saturday, the Rangers were able to add on in bunches, pleasing the majority of the 38,316 fans in attendance. The lineup loaded the bases to lead off the second inning and manufactured two runs on RBI groundouts by Marcus Semien and Adolis García.

Largest crowd ever for a game at Globe Life Field. #StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/4I7NIB5eF8
— Chris Halicke (@ChrisHalicke) May 1, 2022

In the third inning, the Braves made it a one-run game with a two-spot. However, the offense was able to answer and pull away for good. Charlie Culberson padded the lead with a well-executed safety squeeze, scoring Nick Solak from third base. Then, after Marcus Semien worked a two-out walk to load the bases, García cleared them with a three-run triple to give Texas their 7-2 lead.

Adolis Garcia — Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

Adolis García

Taylor Hearn

The offensive support was more than enough for starter Taylor Hearn, who earned his first win of the season. More importantly, he turned in a fine performance after two straight rough outings. He was able to navigate through a tough third inning, limiting the damage to two runs and preserving the lead.

Overall, Hearn pitched five innings, allowing two runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

The bullpen helped preserve the lead with four strong innings. Matt Moore led the way with two shutout innings, with John King pitching a scoreless eighth. Matt Bush allowed a run in the ninth, but closed the door with the four-run lead intact.

Rangers Roster Moves

Ahead of Monday's deadline to trim active rosters to 26 players, the Rangers optioned catcher Sam Huff and outfielder Willie Calhoun to Triple-A Round Rock. Huff comes without any surprise since he was initially called up to cover Jonah Heim's trip to the MLB Paternity List.

Calhoun, however, does come with some surprise. Despite a .136/.283/.273/.556 slash line, Calhoun's expected stats and average exit velocity have remained solid. However, manager Chris Woodward explained that Calhoun has recently displayed some old swing habits that have led to dips in exit velocity and overall struggles as of late.

Another roster move will take place prior to Tuesday's game to activate Jon Gray from the 10-day IL.

What's Next?

The Rangers are off Monday, then begin a five-game road trip on the East Coast. To start, the Rangers will play two games in Philadelphia, then take on the New York Yankees for three games.

Published May 1, 2022

CHRIS HALICKE