ARLINGTON, Texas — Jacob Latz worked a scoreless eighth inning on Sunday and then argued to stay in the game. Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker sent Jakob Junis out for the ninth instead, and Junis retired the side in order in an 8-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Schumaker said he went into the eighth planning to use Latz against the top of the Tampa Bay order and nothing beyond that.
“I knew I had one inning of him,” Schumaker said. “He was fighting me to go back out there. He had 22 or 23 pitches yesterday. And I knew that if the meat of the order was coming up and if I was going to go down, I was going to go down with him. Those three at the top are as good as anybody in the major leagues. And I was sick of seeing them hit extra base hits, it feels like, for four games.”
Corey Seager’s Home Run Changed The Plan
Corey Seager homered leading off the eighth for his 15th of the season, restoring a two-run lead after the Rays had pulled within one in the seventh.
“Corey Seager hitting a home run made that decision a lot easier not to send Latz back out,” Schumaker said. “Initially I had Latz going back out, he was fighting me to go back out and I agreed to it at the time. I didn’t feel good about it, honestly, because I didn’t really want him to throw 50 pitches in two days. As much as I want to win, I still care about the health of the player. And Corey hitting that home run made the decision a lot easier. Still a tough part of the lineup with Hicks and Mullins coming up, but Junis did a really good job.”
It was Junis’ sixth save in seven chances.
Jacob Latz Followed A Saturday Loss
Latz took the loss in the 10th inning on Saturday night after allowing a home run, his first defeat since April 10 at the Dodgers. He is 3-2.
The Rangers went 40-3 in Latz’s 43 appearances between that April 10 loss and Saturday. He posted a 1.76 ERA with three wins and 28 saves over that span.
“They all sting, of course,” Latz said Saturday. “Everyone feels the moments now a little bit more than at the beginning of the year. That’s just the nature of the time. For me personally, I have a new opportunity tomorrow, so try to right the ship and turn the page as quickly as we can.”
“It sucks because we’ve been fighting hard the last couple games, especially,” Latz continued. “To be on the wrong side of things hurts. But there’s still baseball left, and we have to keep going.”
Latz was the Rangers’ lone All-Star selection in 2026.
Texas opens a three-game series at Seattle on Tuesday. First pitch at T-Mobile Park is scheduled for 8:40 p.m. CT.
