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Six-Run Fifth Inning Guides Rangers to Victory
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- Six-Run Fifth Inning Guides Rangers to Victory
(IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect)
The Texas Rangers improved to 73-76 with a much-needed 6-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks .
After losing by eight runs in the series opener , the Rangers didn't let an early 1-0 deficit phase them in this one on Saturday night.
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Brandon Pfaadt has been one of the D-backs' most consistent starting pitchers, but they were able to pick him apart in a fifth inning to remember.
The Rangers snapped a three-game losing streak thanks to an inning that had a little bit of everything.
Breaking down the Rangers' big inning
Wyatt Langford needed just one pitch to tie the game in the top of the fifth. Langford crushed a 93-mph, four-seam fastball 435 feet to left-center for his 17th home run of the year.
Home runs can sometimes be described as rally killers, but this was the opposite of that. The home run was followed by a single, sacrifice bunt, single, hit by pitch, fielder's choice, single, double, single, and then Langford struck out to end the inning.
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Eight runners were left on base in this game for the Rangers, but none of that mattered as they held the D-backs to just two runs, and that simply wasn't going to cut it knowing how well they hit against Pfaadt in the fifth inning.
The Rangers had 13 hits in this game, and it's crazy to think that six of those all came in the same inning.
Langford did challenge the strike call with the count at 2-2, but it was confirmed, and he was retired during his second at-bat of the inning.
Kumar Rocker looked great in a short start
Kumar Rocker was only out there for four innings, but he did a tremendous job recording those 12 outs.
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The 26-year-old wasn't eligible to record a decision, so that went to Robert Garcia , the pitcher who replaced him in the fifth inning. Garcia is now 1-1 on the year.
Back to Rocker, he threw 65 pitches, 46 of which were strikes. He allowed the only two walks of the game, but contributed to five of the team's 10 strikeouts.
Nathan Eovaldi did a tremendous job as the long reliever. The Texas native did allow the D-backs second run, but he threw 45 pitches and went 2.2 innings in his first appearance out of the bullpen this season.
Now, the Rangers know they must put together a winning streak as they're both two games back in the American League West and just two games back of the final AL Wild Card spot.
