Postgame Notes: Rangers 8, White Sox 0
TEXAS has won 2 of 3 G in this series after dropping 3 straight to open the homestand…posted 8th shutout win of the season, with the 8-0 margin tying largest blanking of 2022 (also 8-0 win on 7/21 at MIA) and matching club’s largest blanking ever at Globe Life Field (also 8-0 win on 6/26/21 vs. KC)…tomorrow, will be seeking 2nd series win in last 5 tries (also 7/28-31 at LAA, 3-1) and 1st home series win since 7/11-13 vs. OAK (2-1)...clinched season series vs. CWS (4-2 with one game left) for the 1st time since 2014 (4-2).
DANE DUNNING earned his 1st win since 4/30 vs. ATL (7.2 IP, 1 R-ER), snapping a 15-start winless span that was the longest single-season winless span in franchise history…posted the longest scoreless outing of his career (7.0 IP), joining Martin Perez (3x) and Jon Gray (2x) as the 3rd Ranger with a start of 7.0+ SHO IP in 2022…held Sox 1-for-22 with one walk, with the only hit being a single by Yoan Moncada in the 2nd…since the start of 2019, the only other Ranger to have an outing of 7.0+ SHO IP with as few as one hit allowed was Jon Gray earlier this season on 7/13 vs. OAK (7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SO)…recorded 12 groundball outs.
ADOLIS GARCIA recorded 5 RBI to tie his career high (5th time) and season high (2nd time, also 5/15 vs. BOS)...all 5 of his 5-RBI games have come at Globe Life Field...tonight was his 5th game with 5 RBI since the start of 2021...no other Ranger has more than one such game over that span…blew the game open with a 3-run double in the 7th and gave the Rangers a 3-0 lead with a 2-run single in the 3rd inning on Michael Kopech’s 33rd pitch of the frame…has 19 RBI in 17 G since the All-Star break, more than double the next-closest Ranger (Marcus Semien has 9)...has accounted for 19 of 68 (27.9%) RBI by Texas batters in the 2nd 'half'.
EZEQUIEL DURAN hit an opposite-field HR on the 1st pitch of the bottom of the 3rd inning…marked his 3rd HR of the year and 1st since a 3-R HR in the 11th inning on 6/12 at CWS, as 2 of first 3 career HR have come against the Sox...owns 3 of the 6 HR hit by Texas third basemen, which entered the day tied w/ OAK for the fewest HR from that position.
MEIBRYS VILORIA reached base 3 times (2-for-3, BB, R) to match his career best for times on base (6th time/2nd time on homestand: also Tues. vs. BAL)… both of his singles had 100+ mph exit velocities…has reached base in 7 of 10 PA in August, going 6-for-9 w/ HR, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 3 R.
CHICAGO-AL fell to 54-53 and 29-24 on the road after suffering their 3rd shutout loss of the campaign…have still won 13 of their last 20 G and are looking to avoid their first series loss since 7/4-6 at MIN with a win tomorrow afternoon.
MICHAEL KOPECH, a Texas native, made his 3rd career start against the Rangers and 1st at GLF…registered his shortest outing (3.1 IP) since his last start against the Rangers on 6/12, when he went 0.2 IP after exiting early due to right knee discomfort…excluding that game, the only other outing he went shorter was on 6/1 at TOR (3.0 IP)…was 3-3 with a 4.11 ERA (14 ER/30.2 IP) in his last six road starts, but was 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA (2 ER/10.1 IP) in his last two road starts…gave up three runs on 2 H and 2 BB in the third inning and one run on 2 H in the fourth before being replaced by Jose Ruiz…has now allowed 13 HR in his last 12 starts after not surrendering a HR over his first 8 starts.
MISCELLANEOUS: Tonight’s attendance (38,275) was the 2nd sellout at Globe Life Field this season (also 5/1 vs. ATL)…Ezequiel Duran’s solo HR in the 3rd marked Rangers' 2nd HR within the 1st 3 innings of a game since the AS break, the other by Adolis García on 7/24 at OAK (2-R HR in 1st inning).
