Big Bats Back for Texas Rangers After Recent Slump
The bats are back for the Texas Rangers.
Well, for one game at least.
The Rangers erupted in Sunday’s homestand finale, coming from six runs down for an 11-7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Texas pounded out 15 hits, with seven Rangers collecting at least one base knock.
“That’s one of our better wins, I’ll say since Opening Day,” manager Bruce Bochy said.
The Rangers (44-27) also coaxed six walks and were 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Getting key hits with runners on base has been a struggle over the last week or so.
“We did a lot of good things at the plate,” Bochy said. “The patience that they showed. They stayed with the game plan. This was more of the club we saw the first six or seven weeks. It was good to see the bats there. Nobody got down. They were fighting and doing little things.”
The offensive output was especially noteworthy considering the Rangers averaged just 3.7 runs per game (55 total runs) over their previous seven contests. Texas now has a MLB-best 17 games with 10-or-more runs this season. No other team entered Sunday with more than 11.
The Rangers lead baseball with 434 runs, setting the franchise record for most runs through the first 71 games of a campaign. (The previous mark was 431 in 1998). The last MLB club with as many runs over 71 game was the 2007 Detroit Tigers (439).
Corey Seager and Ezequiel Duran each had four hits Sunday. Jonah Heim hit a game-tying home run in the fifth, his second long ball in as many days. Leody Taveras racked up three hits, including the a go-ahead single in the fifth and a two-run homer in the seventh.
That production is more in line with what the Rangers have done throughout the season.
“I know we can do that,” Taveras said. “We do it before, so lately things haven’t been going the best for us but we know that we had it.”
The American League West leaders open a three-game series Monday at the Chicago White Sox with Andrew Heaney (4-4, 4.05) on the hill. The White Sox hadn’t named a starter as of Sunday. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.
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