Rangers show their continuous fight in loss to Mets, set sights on Houston
This browser does not support the video element.
NEW YORK -- The Rangers are a pesky bunch.
Like Saturday’s one-run victory, the Rangers were never out of the game on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field. Mets right-hander Nolan McLean shut them down for six innings. But Texas took advantage of New York’s bullpen to tie the score in the seventh before losing the game, 5-2, in 10 innings.
The loss snapped the Rangers’ six-game winning streak, and they find themselves three games behind the Mariners in the American League West and two games behind the Astros for the third and final Wild Card spot.
With the score tied at 2, no outs and right-hander Luis Curvelo on the mound, Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer to end the game.
Entering the seventh inning, the Rangers were down, 2-0. First, they faced Brooks Raley. After allowing a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Michael Helman, Raley was able to get two quick outs. But then Raley hit Josh Smith with a pitch before he was taken out of the game in favor of Reed Garrett, who had his problems on the mound.
This browser does not support the video element.
Wyatt Langford reached on a walk to load the bases and Joc Pederson, a .171 hitter entering the game, singled to right field to send home Helman and Smith.
The Rangers had opportunities to take the lead in the final two innings of the game. In the top of the ninth, they had a runner on third base with one out and Edwin Díaz on the mound. Smith came to the plate and hit a looping liner to shortstop Francisco Lindor, who was able to catch the ball and double off pinch-runner Ezequiel Duran at third base. Duran was running on contact, but should have realized that the ball was not on the ground.
“I just didn’t do the job,” Smith said. “When I’m going well, I like the ball in. It was probably too far in.”
Said manager Bruce Bochy: “That’s a pretty good pitcher out there. That’s their closer. [Smith] has been swinging the bat well. There are some other guys who had chances to get a run in. That was missing. That’s the difference.”
This browser does not support the video element.
An inning later, Texas had runners on first and third with one out, but the runners were left stranded. Adolis García struck out against Ryne Stanek and Rowdy Tellez popped up to third baseman Mark Vientos to end the threat.
“We had our chances, but we couldn’t get a productive out. We really didn’t need a hit,” Bochy said. “Getting in a guy at third just didn’t happen for us with less than two outs. That’s how you win ballgames. That was missing today.”
The 2025 Rangers are known to leave losses behind them, and they have to do that as they start an important three-game series against the Astros at Daikin Park starting Monday night.
“As usual, we’ll come out ready to play,” Bochy said. “Another big series. [We] have done a great job of it. [Our] bullpen has been used quite a bit and [playing the Mets] was a hard-fought series. Yeah, it was a tough loss. I hate to lose in extra innings, but we took the series. The Mets are a good team over there. You move on. You have to get ready for Houston.”
In their last series against the Astros, the Rangers took two out of three games at Globe Life Field from Sept. 5-7.