18-11 - Duran hungry like the wolf as Rangers devour DBacks 6-4
The Texas Rangers scored six runs while the Arizona Diamondbacks scored four runs.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t think the Rangers had much of a shot at winning this game on paper. Not with Zac “Perpetually Pestering Orel Hershiser” Gallen looking to pad his 28-inning scoreless inning streak after going 44 1⁄ 3 innings without allowing a run last summer.
I really didn’t think the Rangers were going to win after tonight’s starter Jon Gray allowed a first inning home run and looked shaky as another run crossed the plate before Texas got their first crack at Gallen. Now the Rangers would have to halt Gallen’s streak AND get another one just to even the game.
Texas did break Gallen’s streak with a run in the bottom of the 1st but I really, really didn’t think they would win tonight after another Arizona run in the 2nd and one more in the 3rd. A 4-1 deficit to a guy who hadn’t allowed a run since April 4? Just chalk it up as a bad draw and go beat up on a debuting rookie tomorrow night.
Instead, Gray settled down and picked up a few scoreless frames of his own and suddenly the bats were making Gallen labor with the red hot Ezequiel Duran leading the charge.
After doubling in his first at-bat, Duran singled to kick off a two-run 5th for Texas to pull to within a run. An inning later, with two out, with the early presumptive NL Cy Young favorite forced out of the game, Duran creamed a two-run, go-ahead dong over the center field fence to give Texas the lead and eventually the win.
This one really did feel like stealing a game that Texas wasn’t favored to win and that was mostly thanks to a 3-for-4 night where Duran drove in drove in two, scored twice, and was a triple shy of the cycle.
The victory erased the Cincinnati slide as Texas is back to a season-high seven games above .500, which equals their best mark.
Player of the Game:
Up Next: The Rangers will go for a mini two-game sweep of the DBacks tomorrow with LHP Andrew Heaney set to make the start for Texas against debuting RHP Brandon Pfaadt for Arizona.
Wednesday afternoon’s first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 1:05 pm CT and will aired on BS Southwest.
Source: Lone Star Ball
