ARLINGTON, Texas — Corey Seager is the designated hitter for the Texas Rangers against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night, according to the club’s lineup card. Ezequiel Durán is leading off at shortstop, and Josh Jung is at third base.
In the second game of the three-game series at Globe Life Field, Cal Quantrill starts against Toronto right-hander José Soriano. First pitch is 6:05 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network, and the roof is closed. Here is the Texas lineup:
- Ezequiel Durán, SS
- Corey Seager, DH
- Josh Jung, 3B
- Brandon Nimmo, RF
- Wyatt Langford, LF
- Jake Burger, 1B
- Nicky Lopez, 2B
- Danny Jansen, C
- Evan Carter, CF
Against Boston Red Sox right-hander Sonny Gray on Thursday, Texas used the same nine hitters in the same order. That night, Durán played third base, Seager played shortstop, and Jung was the designated hitter.
Texas drew 10 walks in Friday’s 7-1 win in the series opener. Toronto right-hander Dylan Cease walked a season-high 6 batters and struck out 3 over 2 2/3 innings. He allowed 4 runs, 1 of them earned, on 3 hits.
The second inning started with walks to Langford and Burger. Lopez then singled to load the bases. Langford scored on Carter’s ball back up the middle, and on the same play Toronto’s shortstop tried to get Burger at third base and threw it wide. Burger came home to make it 2-0.
Durán’s sacrifice fly made it 3-0, and Seager doubled in the fourth run. In the fifth inning, Burger drove in Nimmo with another sacrifice fly. Langford walked with the bases loaded in the sixth, and Burger doubled in a run in the eighth.
Cease threw 74 pitches, 36 of them for strikes. He said after the game that he was disappointed with his lack of command.
“I’m just trying to get in the zone and execute,” Cease said. “Whether it’s 92 or 98 [mph], the name of the game is executing pitches. So that’s all I’m really trying to do.”
Cal Quantrill Makes First Start Since Pitching Through Back Tightness
Quantrill is 9-5 with a 2.90 ERA and 81 strikeouts over 31 appearances, 14 of them starts. His back tightened after the fifth inning Sept. 13 at Chase Field, where Texas beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-6. His line was 6 innings, 5 hits, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, and 4 strikeouts on 70 pitches.
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said after that game that Quantrill had been on the attack.
“He was outstanding,” Schumaker said. “I mean, Cal was on the attack, gave up one run through six innings, whatever it was. And then after the fifth, he had back tightness and it was pretty significant back tightness.”
“And so we agreed to go kind of hitter to hitter or inning to inning and hitter to hitter and keep communicating throughout as soon as the seventh inning started,” Schumaker continued. “And we talked about it. And if one guy got on, we’re going to kind of go to the bullpen.”
Quantrill said Thursday that his back is fine, Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports reported. On The Skip Schumaker Show, the pregame segment Rangers Sports Network posted before Thursday’s Boston finale, Schumaker said Quantrill had thrown off the slope that day.
“He’s feeling better today,” Schumaker explained. “Threw, I don’t know, not too many off the mound, off the slope today. Just out there, maybe 10 pitches total. But he felt good, and he’s ready for his next start.”
Texas did not place Quantrill on the injured list. Quantrill told the Rangers he would make his next start, Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said Sept. 14 on 105.3 The Fan’s G-Bag Nation.
“I think Cal will be fine,” Young said. “It’s that point in the season where guys are really pushing through it. They know what’s at stake, and they’re all dealing with some level of aches and pains, and their bodies have been through a lot, and they’re fighting through it.”
Since the start of August, Quantrill has a 1.80 ERA over nine games, eight of them starts, TSN reported. In three career starts against Toronto, he has a 1.59 ERA and 21 strikeouts. One of those came June 27 at Rogers Centre, when he threw 4 scoreless innings in a spot start during a four-game Texas sweep. The Port Hope, Ontario, native’s father pitched for the Blue Jays from 1996 to 2001 and was an All-Star in 2001.
Soriano is 12-7 with a 3.56 ERA and 159 strikeouts. The Los Angeles Angels traded him to Toronto on Aug. 3. Across eight career games against Texas, six of them starts, he has a 2.84 ERA. On Monday against the Detroit Tigers, he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He finished with 6 1/3 innings, 5 hits, 4 runs, and 5 strikeouts.
Texas Rangers Tied With Houston Astros With 8 Games Left
Friday’s win moved Texas to 77-77. The Houston Astros lost 6-2 at home to the Atlanta Braves the same night and fell to 77-77, which leaves the teams tied for first place in the American League West. Houston holds the head-to-head tiebreaker, and the Astros host Atlanta again Saturday at 6:10 p.m. CT.
Over in the American League Central, the Cleveland Guardians are 1 game ahead of the Chicago White Sox. Chicago lost 11-8 to Detroit on Friday and is 78-76, which still has the White Sox in the third and final American League wild card. Texas and Houston are each 1 game behind them in that race, according to MLB.com’s postseason tracker. Toronto (76-78) is 2 games back and 1 game behind the Rangers.
Texas would lose head-to-head tiebreakers to Houston, Chicago, and Detroit, MLB.com listed. The Rangers hold tiebreakers over Toronto, Cleveland, and the Baltimore Orioles.
Boston holds the second wild card. The Red Sox can clinch a postseason berth Saturday with a win at the Tampa Bay Rays at 3:10 p.m. CT, combined with a loss by either Texas or Houston.
Texas has won 5 of its last 6 games. With Friday’s win, the Rangers are 5-0 against Toronto this season.
Sunday’s series finale is at 1:35 p.m. CT, with Jacob deGrom (11-9, 3.79 ERA) pitching for Texas. Toronto has not named a starter. After that, the New York Mets come to Globe Life Field for three games from Sept. 22 to 24, and Texas finishes the regular season at the Minnesota Twins from Sept. 25 to 27.
