SEATTLE — Cal Quantrill worked 6 innings on 93 pitches Tuesday night, allowed 5 hits and 3 runs, walked 1, and struck out 4 in the Texas Rangers‘ 10-5 win over the Seattle Mariners. It was his fifth straight quality start.
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said before Wednesday’s game on Rangers Sports Network that the walk total is the number that explains the rest of it.
Nicky Lopez‘s play on Julio Rodríguez saved a run behind Quantrill, Schumaker said.
“I would prefer the ball put in play than walks. And I think Cal has been so effective because he doesn’t let the walk beat him. He takes pride in making sure that the ball is put in play,” Schumaker said. “And I think that, with a good defense behind him, Zeke Duran made a heck of a play as well, that he trusts it.”
“And I think he went six innings, four strikeouts, one walk. I think we would have signed up for that any day,” Schumaker added. “I know he gave up a home run, but we answered back. And I think that was also a big moment of the game.”
Quantrill is 8-5 with a 2.89 ERA. He threw 56 of his 93 pitches for strikes and faced 24 hitters, retiring 6 on ground balls and 6 in the air.
Nicky Lopez And Ezequiel Duran Behind Cal Quantrill
Lopez started at second base and Ezequiel Duran played third. Rodríguez grounded out to second to end the Seattle third with a runner at second base and two out.
Lopez had already driven in a run by then. He went 3 for 3 and was hit by a pitch, and his second-inning single scored Wyatt Langford. Dallas Sports Journal covered the spot start and the RBI single in an earlier piece on the matchup decision.
“And the two-out RBI was a huge hit at the time, and then he made a really good play against J-Rod to save a run,” Schumaker explained. “So he had a heck of a game.”
The home run Quantrill allowed traveled 474 feet. Lazaro Montes hit it to center field in the fourth with two aboard and cut the Texas lead to 4-3. The Rangers scored 5 in the fifth.
How Cal Quantrill Got Into The Texas Rangers Rotation
Quantrill signed a minor league contract with Texas in January. The Rangers selected his contract from Triple-A Round Rock on April 15, and he worked in long relief and then in leverage innings before injuries to Jack Leiter and Nathan Eovaldi moved him into the rotation. Leiter is on the 60-day injured list and Eovaldi is on the 15-day.
Corey Seager gave Quantrill a lead on the first pitch of the game, a 418-foot home run to right field off Bryce Miller. It was his 16th of the season.
Texas is 72-73. Cody Bradford drew the start Wednesday afternoon at T-Mobile Park against Mariners left-hander Kade Anderson, with Jacob deGrom scheduled for Thursday’s finale at 3:10 p.m. CT.
