Inside The Rangers

'I'll Give A Sample Every Night.' After 2 Homers Against Padres, Texas Rangers Nate Lowe Given Random MLB Drug Test

Nathaniel Lowe's two home runs were part of a season-high eight extra-base hits in the Texas Rangers 7-0 win over the San Diego Padres.

Stefan Stevenson

Jul 2, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (30) hits a two-run home run during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 2, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (30) hits a two-run home run during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

ARLINGTON — Let's just call it one of baseball's funny coincidences.

That's how Nathaniel Lowe treated it when he learned he was picked for a routine league-mandated drug test after the Texas Rangers beat the San Diego Padres 7-0 Tuesday night at Globe Life Field.

The random test came after Lowe hit two, two-run home runs as part of a slugging barrage by the Rangers, who collected a season-high eight extra-base hits. The last time the Rangers had more than eight extra-base hits was 10 (six doubles, four homers) against the Mariners on June 3, 2023.

"I'll stick around and give him a sample every night if I have to," Lowe said.

Absolutely, he said, if it will help him continue to slug the way he had the past week.

Lowe has homered in two of his past three games and has four homers in his past six games. For Lowe, who had 38 doubles and 17 homers in 2023, the power has been slow to come after he missed most of spring training and the first 21 games of the season with an oblique strain.

He had only two homers in his first 58 games in 2024, including a 29-game stretch between May 10 and June 13 when Lowe batted .196 with just one double and one homer and 10 RBI.

"I'm just getting to a point where I can drive the ball, I guess," Lowe said. "First basemen who don't hit homers don't stick around often. So, I value my job, and my team values this job. And the team needs me to drive the ball to win games. So it's been nice to be able to come through this last week and get the ball out of the yard."

His four RBIs on Tuesday are a season-high, and he has driven multiple runs in the past three games. Tuesday night was his fifth career multi-homer game and the first since July 1, 2021, at Oakland.

"It's obvious he sees the ball pretty good right now," Manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's good to see a guy who is one of our core players come around. He's just gotten better and better the past few weeks."

Lowe, who tied Mitch Moreland with the sixth-most hits as a Rangers first baseman with 533, said he hasn't felt more pressure to perform recently. But he's well aware of the team's offensive struggles in 2024 and knows he has underperformed compared to his previous seasons.

"You take inventory when things aren't going as well as you want them to," said Lowe, who is batting .269 with six homers, 11 doubles and 33 RBI in 64 games. "The batting average is not great, but it's fine. And league offense is down, so you've got to take everything into account. But it's nice to hit it in the seats."

It's not just Lowe, either. The Rangers have 22 extra-base hits in the past three games. The previous 25 games in June, they had 50 total extra-base hits.

"Good hitting is contagious. Bad hitting, same way, so when we get two or three guys really rolling I think the sky's the limit for this offense," he said. "You saw flashes of it throughout the year, but we haven't had that consistent stretch where we've really gotten the chance to steamroll teams. And for us to put up a bunch of earned runs on a top-tier starter (Padres right-hander Dylan Cease) tonight was a really good sign."

"I feel like this [past] week I've done a better job of being ready for a good pitch to hit, and the results are starting to show," said Lowe, who homered twice on a night the first 15,000 received Nathaniel Lowe bobbleheads celebrating his 2023 Gold Glove.

"I was kind of wondering when I was going to get a chance to make a play," Lowe joked. "But making routine plays is a good enough way to get it done. And yeah, hitting two home runs is super cool."

You can follow Stefan Stevenson on X @StefanVersusTex.

Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook and X.

Published
Stefan Stevenson

STEFAN STEVENSON

Stefan Stevenson worked as a journalist and editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for 25 years, covering sports, concerts, and general news. His beats have included the Dallas Cowboys, the Texas Rangers, and Texas Christian University football.

Home/News