56-39 - Rangers walk it off against Rays in 3-2 thriller
The Texas Rangers scored runs while the Tampa Bay Rays scored runs.
As someone said in my replies on Twitter, Dane Dunning was the tortoise to Shane McClanahan’s hare tonight. Dunning is out there getting by putting up as many zeros as he can by the skin of his teeth even while McClanahan is building his Cy Young case with dominance until you look up and it’s a 2-2 game after both starters exit.
The Rays got their two runs in the first two innings and it appeared the tortoise was about to be flattened by the AL’s top team. But he settled in and gave the Rangers an additional five innings of scoreless ball to give the bats a shot at finally getting to the TB ace.
It took until the sixth but an Ezequiel Duran two-run dong followed a Robbie Grossman single. Those were just the second and third hit of the night for Texas off McClanahan but it was enough to boot him from the game and leave it up to the bullpens.
In a rarity for the club, the ‘pen held up against another team’s best late arms and Texas were walk-off winners in thrilling fashion in a result that would look real nice a few months from now.
Player of the Game: Give it to Dunning for his 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K performance when the Rangers needed every ounce of it to stay in this one and eventually take it.
Up Next: The Rangers and Rays are back at it again tomorrow night with RHP Nathan Eovaldi making his first start of the second half for Texas opposite RHP Taj Bradley for Tampa Bay.
The Tuesday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CT and you can check it out on BS Southwest.
Source: Lone Star Ball
