Los Angeles @ Texas preview
Globe Life Field
Last Meeting ( May 18, 2024 ) LA Angels 2, Texas 3
The Texas Rangers are happy to have rallied for a 3-2, 13-inning win against the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Saturday.
Now the Rangers will look to gain a series win with more ease when the teams square off in the finale of a three-game set in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday afternoon.
Saturday's victory was the Rangers' second in the past three games after the team had a season-high five-game losing streak.
"It was a hard-fought win," manager Bruce Bochy said. "Entertaining, the things that were happening. It's good to get a win, but you'd like to do it a little bit easier."
Texas, which twice trailed by a run in the game, earned the victory when Nathaniel Lowe was hit by a pitch after Los Angeles intentionally walked Corey Seager to load the bases. Travis Jankowski was the ghost runner and scored the winning run.
It's been a tough-go at the plate for Lowe lately. The first baseman, who also hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth to make the score 2-2, is 2-for-22 over the past six games, including 0-for-11 in the past three.
"Based on my recent success this last week, I was just kind of in the way," Lowe said. "I'm just kind of having a pretty slow stretch, but I was in the way at the right time at the end."
Michael Lorenzen (2-2, 3.75 ERA) will take to the mound for the Rangers on Sunday. The right-hander, an Anaheim native who started 18 games for the Angels in 2022, is 1-1 with a 4.80 ERA in six career appearances (two starts) against his former club. He pitched seven scoreless innings in his most recent outing, a no-decision in his team's 7-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Monday.
The Angels had five hits in Saturday's loss while drawing four walks. But the visitors struggled to capitalize on their time on base, going 0-for-18 with runners in scoring position. Both of their runs came on solo homers, including one by Taylor Ward, who hit his 10th of the season to tie the injured Mike Trout for the team lead.
"We certainly put ourselves in position to have opportunities and we just didn't get it done," Los Angeles manager Ron Washington said. "It's tough when you go that far and have that many opportunities and you just don't cash them in."
It was the first time the Angels have gone 0-for-18 with runners in scoring position since Sept. 13, 1997, against the Kansas City Royals.
"It's very frustrating," said shortstop Zach Neto, who went 1-for-5 on Saturday but was 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. "I gotta be better myself when I get those opportunities, but I just didn't come through. But I feel like if we get this opportunity again next time, I feel like we'll have a better understanding of how to handle it."
The Angels' Luis Rengifo returned to the lineup Friday after being out since May 3 with painful foot blisters. The second baseman has gone only 1-for-10 over the past two games; he was 0-for-6 on Saturday while striking out twice.
Perhaps, though, a matchup against Lorenzen will provide a spark. Rengifo is 3-for-6 with two home runs in his career against Lorenzen.
Right-hander Jose Soriano (1-4, 3.72 ERA) will start for the Angels on Sunday. The 25-year-old has pitched just two innings in two career appearances against Texas, with no hits or walks allowed and no strikeouts.
--Field Level Media