Is Jake Burger back? Rangers 1B leads walk-off win after spending weekend on the bench

ARLINGTON — Rangers manager Skip Schumaker believed that first baseman Jake Burger was only "a hit or two away from getting extremely hot and carrying a team" when he benched their once-cleanup hitter amid a ghastly slump this weekend. 

A hit, or two, might've been dead on. 

Burger, in a 6-5 walk-off win vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks at Globe Life Field, hit a go-ahead home run in the fifth inning and a game-tying single in the ninth inning to plate half of the club's runs in a game-tying win. His ninth-inning single off Diamondbacks right-handed pitcher Paul Sewald set catcher Danny Jansen up for a walk-off single in the next at-bat. 

"We need him," Schumaker said of Burger. "Middle of the lineup, bottom of the lineup lately, and he's provided some huge runs and runs batted in."

The Rangers needed a rally after their usually reliable bullpen had an uncharacteristic night. Left-handed pitcher Jacob Latz, who'd thrown in back-to-back games after rookie right-hander Gavin Collyer created a ninth-inning mess in Tuesday's win that forced him into action, allowed a leadoff double to right fielder Corbin Carroll. The speedy outfielder advanced to third base on a wild pitch, and after shortstop Geraldo Perdomo walked, scored on a double from third baseman Nolan Arenado to tie the game. First baseman Ildemaro Vargas drove in two more runs with a single in the next at-bat to give the Diamondbacks a 5-3 lead and chase Latz from the game. 

The 30-year-old rotation candidate-turned-closer hadn't allowed a run since the Rangers shifted him into the highest-leverage bullpen role nearly two weeks ago. The collective relief staff had been stellar, too, before the trio of right-hander Cole Winn, left-hander Jalen Beeks and Latz combined to allow five runs in the series finale. Winn allowed a run to score off a pair of doubles in the sixth inning, and Beeks was charged with a run after he loaded the bases with one out in the seventh. 

The Rangers were a collective 0 for 12 outside of center fielder Evan Carter's two singles before Burger whacked a go-ahead, three-run home run in the fifth inning. Carter led that inning off with a single, left fielder Alejandro Osuna was hit by a pitch on the elbow in the next at-bat and Burger sent right-handed pitcher Ryne Nelson's middle-middle sinker into the right field seats. 

Burger sat the last two games of the team's weekend series vs. the Chicago Cubs after he'd slashed just .178/.215/.307 in the month that preceded it. He went hitless with a strikeout in Monday's series opener vs. the Diamondbacks, totaled three hits and drove in a pair of runs in Tuesday's win and provided the only significant source of offense in Wednesday's loss. 

"I felt really close Game 1 of this series," Burger said. "I'm just kind of putting it together."

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