WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Wyatt Langford hit a two-run home run to put the Texas Rangers ahead in the sixth inning Saturday night, and Jacob Latz recorded the final 6 outs of a 5-3 win over the Athletics at Sutter Health Park.
The victory ended a four-game losing streak for Texas, with every loss during the skid coming against an American League West opponent. The Rangers improved to 61-63, while the Athletics fell to 48-75. Texas now trails 5-4 in the season series.
Three straight losses in Anaheim started the skid after Texas won the opener of that four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. The Rangers then lost Friday’s series opener against the Athletics 8-3. Texas entered Saturday three games behind the third American League wild-card spot.
Langford said the Rangers kept showing up with the same goal through the skid.
“Yeah, it feels really good,” Langford told Rangers Sports Network. “A little bit of a losing streak there, but coming out here trying to win every day, felt good to get this one.”
Wyatt Langford Puts Texas Rangers Ahead in the Sixth
J.T. Ginn held Texas scoreless through the first 4 innings before Nicky Lopez drove in a run in the fifth.
With Jake Burger on base and Texas trailing 3-0, manager Skip Schumaker had Austin Wynns bunt him over before Lopez brought Burger home.
“Yeah, pretty unconventional,” Schumaker said. “Their pitcher has a really good sinker, and we needed to get him over. We needed to get a run on the board, get some momentum back on our side.”
Schumaker said the bottom of the order had to give the top another opportunity.
“But bottom of the order is supposed to, you know, get some runs or get some people on base for the top of the order to come back up, and they did exactly that,” Schumaker continued.
Corey Seager made it 3-2 in the sixth before Langford came up with nobody out and Seager aboard. Langford sent Ginn’s pitch 421 feet to left-center field for his 14th home run of the season, putting Texas ahead 4-3. The ball left his bat at 105.1 mph with a 35-degree launch angle.
Schumaker had seen Langford fighting through frustration over the previous few games. The manager said the work behind the scenes had not changed.
“Yeah, I mean, Wyatt’s been fighting. I mean, you could see the frustration in the last few games. And he’s such a hard worker, and you knew he was going to come through eventually. Hard work equals good luck, and I felt like he was deserving of some good luck here soon.”
“The first hit of his day in the first inning kind of set the tone,” Schumaker continued. “And then obviously the big home run. That was huge. Corey Seager had a great day, base hit RBI, a couple hits. But up and down the lineup, they’re really good at bats, and a much-needed offensive day. I mean, I know it was five runs, but, you know, we’ll take five runs. I mean, it was great and good enough for a win.”
Langford finished 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored. He is batting .256 with 14 home runs and 33 RBI.
The Rangers finished with 11 hits and went 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position after going 1-for-11 in those situations over the previous two nights. Langford said the fifth-inning run was an example of how Texas can get the offense moving without waiting for a home run.
“Yeah, it’s awesome,” Langford explained. “Obviously we’ve been struggling a little bit to score some runs. So being able to create runs like that, that’s just how it works as baseball. You scratch for one run and then you get another one on a base hit. That’s kind of how it works. So it’s super cool to see and that’s how you get it going.”
Brandon Nimmo and Burger also doubled against Ginn.
In the ninth, Evan Carter doubled against Scott Blewett. Jarred Kelenic pinch-hit for Wynns and singled Carter home, extending the lead to 5-3.
MacKenzie Gore Allows Three-Run Second, Nothing After
With 2 outs in the second inning and two runners aboard, Henry Bolte hit his sixth home run of the season for a 3-0 Athletics lead.
MacKenzie Gore did not allow another run over his next 3 2/3 innings. The left-hander worked 5 2/3 in all and gave up 3 earned runs on 8 hits with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. Gore threw 99 pitches, 61 for strikes, and faced 27 batters.
The win moved Gore to 7-9 with a 4.45 ERA.
Bolte finished 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, and all 3 Athletics RBI. Jonah Heim and Alika Williams also doubled against Gore.
The Athletics had 8 hits as a team but went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Chase Silseth replaced Gore and recorded the final out of the sixth.
Jacob Latz Records His 24th Save
In his first appearance since the Rangers reinstated him from the 15-day injured list earlier Saturday, Jakob Junis needed only 8 pitches for a scoreless seventh. Silseth and Junis were each credited with a hold.
Junis’ return gives the Rangers another pitcher to trust against different parts of an opposing lineup.
“Oh, man, we’ve missed him,” Schumaker said of Junis. “There’s no doubt. Lefties, righties, tough pockets, top of the lineup, that’s been his spot. When Lats is down, we’ve used Junis to close.”
“And I think just having the comfort for me to have him out there,” Schumaker continued. “Knowing I can go to him or now Silseth, obviously Lats, Alexander, there’s some real weapons out there that I can lean on when guys are down. But Jacob Junis has been huge for us all year, and we’ve missed him for the last few weeks, and it’s kind of shown up, quite honestly. So to have him back there, it lengthens the bullpen, and it showed what he can do tonight.”
Latz worked the eighth and ninth and allowed no hits and 1 walk with 2 strikeouts on 36 pitches. Donovan Walton was caught stealing second in the eighth on a throw from Wynns to Lopez.
The save was Latz’s 24th, and he moved to a 1.77 ERA.
Ginn took the loss after giving up 4 earned runs on 8 hits over 6 innings. He did not issue a walk and struck out 7 while throwing 94 pitches. Ginn fell to 8-7 with a 3.53 ERA.
Brady Basso followed Ginn with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Blewett worked the final 1 1/3 innings and allowed the ninth-inning run.
Texas Rangers End Four-Game AL West Skid
During the four losses leading into Saturday, Texas scored 7 runs. The Rangers lost 3-2, 5-2, and 7-0 in their final three games against the Angels in Anaheim before Friday’s 8-3 loss at Sutter Health Park extended the streak to four.
Texas managed only 4 hits Friday. A night later, the Rangers finished with 11 and went 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
Langford said the Rangers believe better baseball is ahead, despite sitting two games under .500.
“Yeah, it’s great,” Langford said. “We feel like we haven’t really played our best baseball, and for us to be in this position, it’s awesome, because we still feel like the best is ahead of us. Got guys coming back, guys heating up. So it feels really good.”
Saturday was the ninth meeting between Texas and the Athletics this season. The Athletics lead the season series 5-4, with four games still remaining between the teams.
Texas Rangers Reinstate Jakob Junis
Before first pitch, Texas reinstated Junis from the 15-day injured list and designated left-hander Marco Gonzales for assignment.
Jacob deGrom remains day-to-day with a right triceps issue. He left Thursday’s start against the Angels after 2 innings and underwent imaging Friday.
Nathan Eovaldi remains on the 15-day injured list with an elbow injury. Third baseman Josh Jung and catcher Kyle Higashioka are on the 10-day injured list.
At Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, Jack Leiter threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings in a rehab start. He gave up 1 hit and 1 walk and struck out 3.
The game also included three automated ball-strike challenges. Athletics catcher Brian Serven challenged twice, with one call overturned from a ball to a strike. Wynns used one challenge for Texas, and the call on the field stood.
First pitch came at 8:41 p.m. CT with the temperature at 85 degrees and a 9 mph wind blowing out to left field. The game lasted 2 hours, 40 minutes in front of 10,070 at Sutter Health Park.
Up Next
Texas and the Athletics close the three-game series Sunday at Sutter Health Park. First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. CT.
The Rangers return to Globe Life Field on Tuesday to open a three-game series against the Washington Nationals.
