Rangers drive in four in 9th without a hit to back Scherzer’s 10-K start
Rangers score four in the 9th
By Brian Hall11:06 PM CDTFacebook ShareTwitter ShareEmailCopy Link
MINNEAPOLIS — Saturday’s finish is not how the Rangers likely envisioned snapping their eight-game losing streak, but they’ll take the win any way it comes.
Deadlocked into the ninth inning on Saturday in Minnesota, Texas put up an improbable rally.
Adolis García and Mitch Garver started the ninth with singles against Twins reliever Griffin Jax. The Rangers proceeded to score four runs in a 6-2 victory over Minnesota and didn’t get another hit the rest of the way, using two walks and two hit batters to snap their season-long losing streak.
“I think for everybody [it was relief],” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said of Saturday’s win. “You get in a rut like this and get [out of the slump], it’s huge. I think you look [at] how we won the game, too. We lost a lot of the games late. We won it there in the ninth inning on a tough team.”
Grossman’s RBI walk
Brock Burke (5-2) earned the win with a scoreless inning in relief of starter Max Scherzer. Aroldis Chapman, who started warming up when the game was tied 2-2, pitched the ninth inning.
Before the ninth-inning rally, Garver and García also homered.
But it was the at-bats from everyone in the ninth that impressed Bochy and helped break the skid.
Ezequiel Duran was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Robbie Grossman worked a walk to score the go-ahead run. Another run scored when Leody Taveras walked before Marcus Semien was hit by a pitch to plate another run. The final tally of the inning came on a sacrifice fly by Corey Seager.
“The way things are going, you know, you can always say, ‘Man, here we go again,’” Bochy said. “But they didn’t and I just thought in the ninth, it was great concentration to focus in those at-bats in the ninth.”
Adolis García goes yard (32)
The celebration after Chapman finished the game was muted on the field. But the Rangers were plenty excited in the clubhouse.
“Guys are fired up,” Grossman said. “I think that was our toughest stretch of the year. That’s baseball. This is a funny game. It’s funny how things work out. You could look up in three or four weeks and say, ‘Wow, how hot are we?’ But, it’s baseball.”
Max Scherzer on win vs. Twins
What a strange trip it’s been.
Texas won eight straight games at the start of August, but they had lost eight straight heading into Saturday. It’s the first time in franchise history that Texas has had winning and losing streaks of at least eight games in the same month.
Scherzer, who was acquired in a trade from the New York Mets at the Trade Deadline, joined the team right as the eight-game winning streak started. He helped end the losing streak with seven strong innings on Saturday.
“Look, we’re a great team,” Scherzer said. “I got over here. We won eight straight. Everything was working. Offense, everybody was doing their job. You kind of ride the high of the roller coaster, and then we go on an eight-game losing streak and you feel like you’re in the lowest of the low. You’re never as high, never as low as you actually think you are.”
Max Scherzer’s 10 strikeouts
Scherzer did his part, being the stopper and ace that Texas hoped to acquire when it gave up prospect Luisangel Acuña in the trade. Scherzer allowed two runs on four hits and one walk, striking out 10 Twins.
“I can’t win a ballgame by myself,” Scherzer said. “You need your teammates. But I can go out there and do my job, and my job is to pitch deep into a ballgame, keep the game close and turn it over to the bullpen later in the game. Get our best relievers in the ball game. That’s what I thought I did tonight.”
Aroldis Chapman gets the win
Scherzer is now 3-1 with a 2.64 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings for Texas.
“He really was outstanding,” Bochy said. “I tell you, he competes as well as any pitcher I’ve seen. So locked in and focused on what he wants to do. We needed it today, obviously. We had our guy out there. He came through for us.”
As did the hitters in the ninth.
